Blockchain, Smart Contracts and Distributed Ledger Technologies in the Built Environment

Mohamad Kassem is a professor of digital construction at Newcastle University, UK, and leads the NU-DICE Lab. His interests include construction digitalisation, focusing on technical advancements, process innovation, and policy development. He has held consultancy roles with the European Commission, UK FCO, CITB, and governments of Brazil and Mexico. He has authored or contributed to more than 160 publications, has been awarded £12 million in R&D funding, and is the recipient of multiple awards.Abel Maciel is a practicing architect and associate professor at the Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, University College London (UCL), UK. He has contributed to research at the Space Syntax Laboratory, the Bartlett School of Architecture, and the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction. He is the founding director of Design Computation and also of the Construction Blockchain Consortium. He serves as an advisor on Blockchain and AI policy in the British Parliament.Daniel M. Hall is an assistant professor in the faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. He is founder and organizer of the Stanford Industrialized Construction Forum. He holds several international leadership positions including for the European Conference for Computing in Construction, the International Association of Automation and Robotics in Construction, and the Construction Blockchain Consortium.

• Chapter 1: IntroductionChapter 2: Distributed ledger technologies, blockchain and smart contracts: technical foundations and key conceptsChapter 3: Socio-technical approach to blockchain adoption in construction: conceptual models and roadmaps for macro- and meso-scale implementationChapter 4: Enhancing information security and digital trust in construction: decentralisation and encryption approachesChapter 5: Blockchain and tokenization of built assetsChapter 6: Digital building logbooks on the blockchain: first conceptualisation and future research directionsChapter 7: Blockchain for energy management in seaport infrastructure: a microgrid case studyChapter 8: Decentralising architectural design through data governanceChapter 9: Blockchain in construction supply chain managementChapter 10: Blockchain for data observability: integrating BIM, digital twins and enterprise CDEsChapter 11: Blockchain and contract administration in constructionChapter 12: Legal risks for blockchain applications in the built environment: a legal perspectiveChapter 13: Conclusions: cross-cutting themes, challenges and recommendations