Leveraging Blockchain Technology in AEC Industry during Design Development Phase

Information exchange among architects, contractors, and clients is found to be limited and not completely digital, which creates difficulty in tracking and analyzing the generated unstructured data. Design drawings are developed during the design phase, but not transparently shared among contractors, due to the fear of uncertain changes in design without knowing who changed the designed element and what element is been modified, which can lead to disputes. Blockchain technology enables the transaction of digital information, and revolutionizing different industries like banking, crypto exchanges, insurance, etc., due to its decentralized, encrypted, and secured functionality. This paper proposes the potential application of blockchain technology in design development phase of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) processes by developing a blockchain framework. In this research, the design data generated from design development software and its log files are categorized, and flow of data encryption is determined by using blockchain concepts in order to have a secure ledger, which has the potential to provide a validation to an argument of disputes. The expected contribution of this proposed research is to create a framework to track and register the design commands and events in a secured, transparent, and collaborative platform. The anticipated benefits of this research include the record of proof of work and the mitigation of disputes and litigations related to design defects which includes design error and omissions and construction defects which includes either replacement or modifications in design, resulting to change orders and monetary losses.