Opening the Blockchain Ecosystem in Construction

Abstract

Construction is undergoing digitalisation through innovations such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain. Various countries attempt to regulate, standardise and mandate such technologies. For example, various institutions, e.g. government, policy, businesses, and industry consortia, actively developed BIM implementation processes and pushed its use. However, in the lower tiers of the construction supply chain, the democratisation of BIM was problematic and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) lagged behind due to limited resources. The digital divide reinforced mistrust in improvement agendas. This paper problematises around leadership necessary for democratising blockchain, an emerging digital technology.