{"id":23966,"date":"2023-12-18T02:41:54","date_gmt":"2023-12-18T10:41:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/hku-uses-blockchain-for-modular-construction-quality-management\/"},"modified":"2023-12-18T02:41:57","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T10:41:57","slug":"hku-uses-blockchain-for-modular-construction-quality-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/hku-uses-blockchain-for-modular-construction-quality-management\/","title":{"rendered":"HKU Uses Blockchain for Modular Construction Quality Management"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/files\/membership-default-internal\/\" class=\"memberhide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/01\/20220718_175041000_iOS.jpg\" alt=\"-\"><\/a><br\/><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>A team from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has developed a novel e-inspection system to monitor the manufacturing and delivery of student residence modules. It uses blockchain technology to store inspection records.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis e-inspection 2.0 system is a world\u2019s first. It has set new standards and will serve as a prototype for the industry,\u201d said <strong>Professor Wilson Lu<\/strong> of the Department of Real Estate and Construction, who led the study.\u00a0Other members included <strong>Dr. Frank Xue <\/strong>from the same Department, <strong>Professor Anthony Yeh<\/strong> from the Department of Urban Planning and Design, and <strong>Mr. KL Tam<\/strong>, Director of Estates.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"838\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/e-instar-developers.jpeg\" alt=\"-\" class=\"wp-image-2014012 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/e-instar-developers.jpeg 838w, https:\/\/aec-business.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/e-instar-developers-768x550.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/aec-business.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/e-instar-developers-140x100.jpeg 140w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 838px) 100vw, 838px\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-pilot-project-with-1-000-modular-units\">A pilot project with 1,000 modular units<\/h2>\n<p>The HKU Wong Chuk Hang Student Residence is a pilot project built with <em>Modular Integrated Construction <\/em>(MiC) technology. The two 17-floor tower buildings have approximately 1,000 modular units (e.g., rooms and toilets), which will be manufactured offsite in a factory located in Guangdong Province. Inspected and qualified modular units are then transported to Hong Kong using containers via ships and trucks, and assembled at the construction site in Wong Chuk Hang.<\/p>\n<p>The new MiC method substantially shortens construction time, addresses the problem of manpower shortage in Hong Kong, and reduces the environmental impacts of construction works. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>During the COVID-19 pandemic, sending authorized persons from Hong Kong to Mainland factories for onsite inspections was extremely difficult. That inspired the HKU research team to develop a new e-inspection 2.0 system. It consists of a mobile application called e-inStar which encodes the standardized inspection processes of MiC and enables inspection works in an offshore factory. \u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-qubely-row qubely-section qubely-block-f747c9\">\n<div class=\"qubely-container\">\n<div class=\"qubely-row \">\n<div class=\"wp-block-qubely-column qubely-column qubely-column-front qubely-block-3b7ab9\">\n<div class=\"qubely-column-inner\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A breakdown of the e-inspection 2.0 process<\/h2>\n<ol id=\"block-fbe98e55-ff76-4665-99e5-2667b32e1e45\">\n<li>The contractor generates a list of inspection tasks for a specific project.<\/li>\n<li>Different stakeholders (e.g., registered structure engineer, authorized person) register on the platform and state their role types.<\/li>\n<li>A two-factor authentication (2FA) (i.e., password and fingerprint) will confirm the identity of the inspectors.<\/li>\n<li>When a construction task is completed, the contractor checks the target objects regarding the check items and records the corresponding data (i.e., inspection results and photos)<\/li>\n<li>At hold points, the client representative and\/or registered structural engineer, authorized person, and building service inspector ask the contractor\u2019s inspectors to recheck target objects under their real-time video supervision.<\/li>\n<li>The recheck results are compared with the record, and if they are the same and in compliance, the client representative and\/or registered structural engineer, authorized person, and building service inspector can digitally sign the record in the distributed blockchain network.<\/li>\n<li>If any inconsistency or noncompliance is spotted, a request for re-inspection will be sent to the contractor. All records on procedures, being dispersed and stored in the blockchain network, are totally traceable.<\/li>\n<li>The signed record is converted into a legally effective document and stored in a distributed blockchain network. All records are thus immutable and safeguarded in the blockchain network.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The technologies used<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe core of the e-inspection 2.0 system is the blockchain technology which can ensure the accountability, immutability, and traceability of all the inspection information collected from the APP, IoTs, and GIS,\u201d said Professor Lu.<\/p>\n<p>Also, IoTs are utilized to collect temperature, humidity, vibration, and location information; GIS supports real-time proof of location, while BIM is used for better information management and presentation.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/e-instar-tech.jpg\" alt=\"-\" class=\"wp-image-2014018 lazyload\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1242\" src=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/e-instar-tech.jpg\" alt=\"-\" class=\"wp-image-2014018 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/e-instar-tech.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/aec-business.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/e-instar-tech-1200x776.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/aec-business.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/e-instar-tech-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/aec-business.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/e-instar-tech-1536x994.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe can instantly know the location, temperature, or whether the modules are damaged due to moisture or vibration etc. Each module will have its own \u2018birth certificate\u2019, which clearly records the details of each testing process and the persons responsible etc.,\u201d said Mr. KL Tam. He hoped that the new system can be widely adopted to further drive innovation in the local construction industry.<\/p>\n<p>The research findings have been published in the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/ascelibrary.org\/doi\/10.1061\/%28ASCE%29ME.1943-5479.0001063\" target=\"_blank\">Journal of Management in Engineering,<\/a> an academic journal of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). You can also download a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hku.hk\/f\/upload\/24632\/Press%20conference%20on%206%20June.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">slide presentation<\/a> of the press event and watch <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/718960908\/21c1d28630\" target=\"_blank\">a video demo<\/a> of the e-inStar app.<\/p>\n<p><em>Source and images: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hku.hk\/press\/news_detail_24630.html\" target=\"_blank\">HKU, June 6, 2022<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"et_social_bottom_trigger\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5143531171910809\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- News - Bottom -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5143531171910809\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"8320848692\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/aec-business.com\/hku-uses-blockchain-for-modular-construction-quality-management\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">This article was originally posted at Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A team from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has developed a novel e-inspection system &#8230; <a title=\"HKU Uses Blockchain for Modular Construction Quality Management\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/hku-uses-blockchain-for-modular-construction-quality-management\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about HKU Uses Blockchain for Modular Construction Quality Management\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1062,1066],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aec-business","category-all-posts","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}