The Integration of Automatic BIM Validation and Smart Contracts for Design Compliance and Payment Reliability in the Design Process

The research aims at streamlining the execution of the design phase by combining the automatic BIM validation and smart contracts. The construction industry is generally reluctant in accommodating new technologies, but with the promise of transforming information management, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is currently leading its digitalisation. Despite that, its adoption showed issues of information integrity and reliability. Misunderstanding about information requirements can cause delays, unforeseen costs and need for reworks. For these reasons, the chapter suggests the integration of information management based on BIM and blockchain, highlighting their prospective bond. The chapter illustrates the framework of the research that applies the automatic BIM validation and smart contracts in the design phase, pointing out their potential impact on the automation of information review, reduction of late deliveries and overdue payments. The architecture of the potential technological tools is presented and discussed. The research proposes a data-driven process, where all the essential information related to the design verification is recorded and where, at the automatic validation of each BIM model, the approval of payment release is issued automatically. The system intends to ensure full compliance with project information requirements and protect the contracting parties against potential late payment. The framework is still theoretical, however, the expected outcomes from its future test through a proof of concept are finally discussed.