Blockchain 3.0 and BIM Create A New Era of Traceable Data Exchange
As Building Information Modelling (BIM) becomes the backbone of digital construction, the sheer volume of information exchanged between stakeholders presents challenges.
Traditional file-based methods often fall short. Multidisciplinary teams waste time transferring largely unchanged BIM files, only to encounter redundancy, inefficiency, and limited traceability of changes. Even with the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) standard supporting interoperability, redundancies, security issues, and lack of change transparency persist.
Cloud computing has stepped in as a stopgap, while blockchain has been touted as a solution for security and accountability. Yet problems remain. Storing massive IFC files directly on the blockchain is impractical, and most blockchain solutions fail to capture semantic-level changes, leaving project teams without the ability to trace BIM updates at object level.
Introducing the tSDT Approach
A research team led by Lingming Kong, Rui Zhao, Chimay J. Anumba, Weisheng Lu, and Fan Xue has tackled this problem head-on with a breakthrough method. Their paper, Open BIM exchange on Blockchain 3.0 virtual disk: A traceable semantic differential transaction approach, proposes a fresh way to manage BIM data exchange.
At the heart of the study lies the traceable semantic differential transaction (tSDT) approach. Instead of transferring entire BIM files, tSDT records only the semantic-level differences between versions. This minimises data redundancy and enables precise tracking of changes to BIM objects. In short, project teams can finally trace “what changed, when, and by whom” without getting bogged down by unnecessary data.
The Role of openBIMdisk
To put tSDT into practice, the researchers developed openBIMdisk, a Blockchain 3.0-powered virtual disk. This innovative tool allows BIM professionals to conduct secure, traceable exchanges of project data across multiple blockchain services. The system supports version management and object-level semantic traceability, making BIM exchanges not only more efficient but also more transparent.
The pilot study on a modular construction project demonstrated the system’s effectiveness. Results showed that tSDT consumed a mere 0.007% of disk space when storing and restoring BIM changes. openBIMdisk achieved an impressive response time of just 5.3 milliseconds, ensuring near-instantaneous access to versioned BIM data.
Why Blockchain 3.0?
Blockchain 1.0 was about cryptocurrency, Blockchain 2.0 expanded to smart contracts, and Blockchain 3.0 is now emerging as a platform for large-scale, decentralised applications. Its promise lies in scalability, interoperability, and flexibility. By leveraging Blockchain 3.0, openBIMdisk sidesteps earlier barriers, such as file storage limitations, while ensuring cross-chain collaboration and heightened security.
Construction projects are notoriously complex, often involving multiple contractors, consultants, and government agencies. By using Blockchain 3.0, data can be securely distributed across different platforms without centralised bottlenecks, while ensuring transparency and auditability.
Wider Implications for Construction
The adoption of tSDT and openBIMdisk could mark a turning point in digital construction workflows. Key benefits include:
- Reduced redundancy: Only semantic differences are stored, cutting down on wasted storage and transmission time.
- Enhanced traceability: Teams can track every change at object level, ensuring accountability across project phases.
- Improved security: Blockchain-based exchanges safeguard sensitive project data against tampering or loss.
- Faster response times: The system allows near real-time access to updated BIM data.
For investors and policymakers, these improvements translate into reduced project risk and stronger confidence in data integrity.
Building Trust Through Transparency
Trust has long been a sticking point in construction collaboration. Delays, disputes, and finger-pointing often stem from unclear data trails. By ensuring immutable, traceable BIM exchanges, openBIMdisk offers a way to reduce disputes and foster collaborative trust.
As one construction analyst put it: “When every stakeholder can see what changed, there’s less room for conflict and more room for cooperation.”
Industry Adoption and Future Directions
The research published in Frontiers of Engineering Management (2025, Vol. 12, Issue 3, pp. 510–528) underscores how theory is becoming practice. The open access paper is already stirring debate in industry circles, with many seeing the potential for scaling beyond modular construction into large infrastructure projects.
Future work may include integrating artificial intelligence to predict change impacts or combining digital twin technology for real-time project monitoring. If developed further, openBIMdisk could become a backbone technology for smart city planning, infrastructure maintenance, and global construction supply chains.
A Step Towards Smarter Collaboration
The introduction of tSDT and openBIMdisk isn’t just an academic exercise. It’s a practical step towards resolving some of the thorniest issues in BIM collaboration. By making data exchange faster, leaner, and more transparent, Blockchain 3.0 technologies are positioning themselves as essential tools for the future of construction.
As the authors conclude in their study: “tSDT offers a novel and efficient method for semantic BIM change traceability, while openBIMdisk provides practitioners with a Blockchain 3.0 application featuring intuitive and user-friendly interfaces for BIM exchange.”
Moving the Industry Forward
The construction sector has long wrestled with balancing efficiency and accountability. By addressing redundancy, security, and traceability, this new approach offers a credible pathway to more reliable digital collaboration. In an era where digital twins, AI, and data-driven decision-making are reshaping the built environment, innovations like openBIMdisk are vital.
For construction professionals, policymakers, and investors alike, the message is clear: Blockchain 3.0 isn’t just about cryptocurrencies or finance. It’s about reshaping industries, construction included, through trustworthy, efficient, and future-ready solutions.
