Blockchain and Building Information Management (BIM) for Sustainable Building Development within the Context of Smart Cities

Blockchain-smart contracts for sustainable project performance: bibliometric and content analyses

Blockchain-smart contracts have emerged as a new value proposition in improving certain aspects of sustainability in projects. However, there is little knowledge on how smart contracts can be leveraged to stimulate sustainable project performance from the integrated perspective. This study aims to capture the latest research development and applications of smart contracts for sustainable outcomes throughout the project lifecycle. Bibliometric and content analyses were conducted to critically review smart contracts and sustainable project performance. The results show that various new applications of smart contracts for sustainability have become more popular in the architecture, engineering, construction, and operation (AECO) industry. A smart contracts-sustainable project performance framework has been developed to fill up the research gaps for improving each dimension of sustainability and the integrated dimensions of sustainability during the project lifecycle. This study renders important implications for promoting sustainable project performance in the context of the engineering, construction, and operation industry, particularly for the required interdisciplinary research and practice in smart contracts.

AI-big data analytics for building automation and management systems: a survey, actual challenges and future perspectives

In theory, building automation and management systems (BAMSs) can provide all the components and functionalities required for analyzing and operating buildings. However, in reality, these systems can only ensure the control of heating ventilation and air conditioning system systems. Therefore, many other tasks are left to the operator, e.g. evaluating buildings’ performance, detecting abnormal energy consumption, identifying the changes needed to improve efficiency, ensuring the security and privacy of end-users, etc. To that end, there has been a movement for developing artificial intelligence (AI) big data analytic tools as they offer various new and tailor-made solutions that are incredibly appropriate for practical buildings’ management. Typically, they can help the operator in (i) analyzing the tons of connected equipment data; and; (ii) making intelligent, efficient, and on-time decisions to improve the buildings’ performance. This paper presents a comprehensive systematic survey on using AI-big data analytics in BAMSs. It covers various AI-based tasks, e.g. load forecasting, water management, indoor environmental quality monitoring, occupancy detection, etc. The first part of this paper adopts a well-designed taxonomy to overview existing frameworks. A comprehensive review is conducted about different aspects, including the learning process, building environment, computing platforms, and application scenario. Moving on, a critical discussion is performed to identify current challenges. The second part aims at providing the reader with insights into the real-world application of AI-big data analytics. Thus, three case studies that demonstrate the use of AI-big data analytics in BAMSs are presented, focusing on energy anomaly detection in residential and office buildings and energy and performance optimization in sports facilities. Lastly, future directions and valuable recommendations are identified to improve the performance and reliability of BAMSs in intelligent buildings.

The Influence Mechanism of BIM on Green Building Engineering Project Management under the Background of Big Data

The main framework of green construction management based on building information modeling (BIM) is constructed, and the related theories of BIM and green buildings are researched in more detail. The index of green construction is evaluated using the fuzzy evaluation method. The technical measures, management methods, field experience, and evaluation methods included in the green construction process are introduced in detail. Finally, effective measures to promote green construction management in China are proposed. This method is based on the specific technical measures and targeted management methods adopted in the green construction process. At the same time, the specific measures of construction project management in the era of big data are analyzed. It includes the collection and processing of data, the establishment of basic data models, the intelligent technology of big data clusters, and the application of blockchain big data. The purpose of the research is not only to effectively promote the development process of green construction in China, but also to reduce the waste of resources and environmental damage in the construction projects. At the same time, in the process of solving China's environmental protection, building construction must follow the guiding suggestions put forward under the green construction. This has an important reference value for promoting China's green construction work and has certain construction significance for realizing the sustainable development of the construction industry.

Greening the Artificial Intelligence for a Sustainable Planet: An Editorial Commentary

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most popular and promising technologies of our time [...]

Analysis of the Social Aspect of Smart Cities Development for the Example of Smart Sustainable Buildings

The concept of a smart city is assumed to use resources more efficiently and in an innovative, creative, and intelligent manner. Initial experience with implementing this concept relates primarily to investments in technology and infrastructure using smart solutions, particularly technical urban infrastructure. An important social aspect of a smart city—people—cannot not go unnoticed. The inhabitants of a smart city are not only beneficiaries; they participate in its co-creation, initiate activities and are creative. This paper focuses on one of the smart city’s technical infrastructure components, which are intelligent sustainable buildings. This article aims to analyze the factors characterizing smart sustainable buildings (SSB) and the possibilities for their development. For this purpose, a SWOT matrix was developed. The factors of this matrix were subjected to a cause-effect analysis using the DEMATEL method to establish relationships between them. The results of the analysis allowed us to examine the social aspect, i.e., the impact of creators and users of sustainable, intelligent buildings on their development and possibilities for their creative and innovative use in an urban space.

Investigating Smart City Development Based on Green Buildings, Electrical Vehicles and Feasible Indicators

With a goal of achieving net-zero emissions by developing Smart Cities (SCs) and industrial decarbonization, there is a growing desire to decarbonize the renewable energy sector by accelerating green buildings (GBs) construction, electric vehicles (EVs), and ensuring long-term stability, with the expectation that emissions will need to be reduced by at least two thirds by 2035 and by at least 90% by 2050. Implementing GBs in urban areas and encouraging the use of EVs are cornerstones of transition towards SCs, and practical actions that governments can consider to help with improving the environment and develop SCs. This paper investigates different aspects of smart cities development and introduces new feasible indicators related to GBs and EVs in designing SCs, presenting existing barriers to smart cities development, and solutions to overcome them. The results demonstrate that feasible and achievable policies such as the development of the zero-energy, attention to design parameters, implementation of effective indicators for GBs and EVs, implementing strategies to reduce the cost of production of EVs whilst maintaining good quality standards, load management, and integrating EVs successfully into the electricity system, are important in smart cities development. Therefore, strategies to governments should consider the full dynamics and potential of socio-economic and climate change by implementing new energy policies on increasing investment in EVs, and GBs development by considering energy, energy, techno-economic, and environmental benefits.

Blockchain-Based Solutions in Achieving SDGs after COVID-19

In this paper, we attempt to explore the extent to which the hard won development gains over the last several years could be reversed due to the unfolding COVID-19 global pandemic, how we can reboot the global response to accelerate the SDGs in times of uncertainties, and most importantly how to turn the recovery into an opportunity to build back better and more resilient economies. To do so, we examine the case of blockchain as one of the emerging innovative work-streams in development practices that could lead the way forward and pave the path for new developmental narratives as we all navigate the uncharted territories of the new digital age. This paper provides useful insights about the underlying dynamics underpinning the adoption of blockchain backed-solutions for sustainable development, and it showcases some of the promising use-cases being developed through trial-and-error experiments by its early adopters. The paper offers a deep dive into a burgeoning development practice in search of disrupting business-as-usual to solve increasingly complex development challenges by mainstreaming innovations such as blockchain-enabled solutions to rethink the ways in which development solutions are being delivered across the SDG spectrum. This work points to the significant potential of blockchain technology as a game changer in solving some of the most pressing issues hindering the global recovery post Covid-19 to transition towards greener and more inclusive economies. Nevertheless, we also stress that the hype-cycle behind the “let’s blockchain it” trend does not mean that blockchain-backed solutions are necessarily superior to other alternatives which might be less costly and less technical in nature. Development practitioners prototyping and implementing blockchain-based solutions for sustainable development can utilize these insights and discussions to make informed decisions in their journey to harness the disruptive potential of blockchain alone or in tandem with other emerging technologies in the new world of business as unusual.