The technology of trust: How the Internet of Things and blockchain could usher in a new era of construction productivity

A construction project is an amalgam of hundreds of processes, participants, and products so it is no wonder that they rarely go to plan. The increasing complexity of buildings and structures strain quality management systems to their limits, while information flows within supply chains are often diverse and bespoke, leading to communication gaps, waste and litigation. Two related streams of emerging technology, the Internet of Things and “blockchain”, are presented here as developments that could unlock capability and productivity – just as innovative socio-technical mechanisms of past centuries led to explosive advances in global trade and communication.