Digital Traceability for Planning Processes

Abstract

The increasing complexity of communication and collaboration processes due to the use of build-ing data models and object-based change management, create the need for efficient ways of transparency and traceability within planning processes. The growing presence of BIM (Building Information Modelling) digi-talises the AEC industry and produces numerous assets in digital form, but their added value is not completely exploited. Blockchain (BC) and Smart Contracts (SC) might deliver improvement to communication and col-laboration in the design phase. Based on a framework for assessing BIM based workflows, processes are ana-lysed according to three sub-categories: project-stakeholder involvement, data-flow and single actions, which form a process-flow. The information gained with the application of this framework, grounded in a use case, is further explored in a conceptual model for SCs in the design phase of a building project. The focus hereby lies on existing processes which can be translated into a SC, and not on the alternation of currently applied work-flows. SCs will be used as a tool, for supporting mandatory actions by each project stakeholder and to create a digital reference of changes in a BIM model on a BC.