He Xiao

The use of blockchain technology to address the collaboration/trust problems of BIM in the UK's construction industry: from the perspectives of technology, process, behaviour

School research topic: Management of projects
Supervisors: Professor Tim Broyd and Dr Mustafa Selçuk Çıdık
Start date: 28 September 2020

Trust and collaboration problems are part of key obstacles for the adoption and promotion of BIM. This research aims to gain an understanding of application environment of BIM and detailed trust and collaboration problems from technical, process, and behavioural perspectives. This research investigates the influence of Blockchain to the effectiveness of BIM, information management process, organisational structure, staff behaviour; develop a theoretically standardised "Technology-Process-Behaviour" model for Blockchain-based BIM.

This research will use mixed methods. First, using systematic literature review to explore the trust and collaboration problems in BIM, and build up a “technology-process-behavioural” model by combining what benefits could be brought from Blockchain to BIM. Then using interview and roundtable discussion to modify my research question and trust and collaboration problems in BIM. At the same time, using data gathered from interview and discussion to modify my “technology-process-behavioural” model.

We hope this study shall promote the adoption of BIM, improve the labour productivity of BIM by solving collaboration and trust problems with the application of Blockchain-based BIM, and develop “technology-process-behavioural” model which may be helpful for forming organisational rules, or even industry and government regulations.