The popularity of modular construction has re-emerged in recent years due to its capacity to adhere to industrialized processes and circularity principles. Modular structures consist of assemblies whose components are easily disassembled for replacement or reuse, resulting in lower volumes of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) and, consequently, significant reductions not only in waste management costs but also in environmental impacts.

One of the main issues with the AEC industry is its fragmentation, not only due to the involvement of many actors but also the long lifetime of constructions. Given the likelihood of stakeholder changes throughout the lifecycle of a building, information loss is a significant concern due to its critical importance in achieving a circular economy. Digital Product Passports (DPPs) can have a big impact in recording this information through the entire lifecycle of these components. The use of Web3 solutions enable data access control throughout the entire lifecycle independent of individual actors, unlike in Web2 where services rely on centralized entities that constitute single points of failure.

This research aims to develop a BIM library for modular units that integrates a digital passport system built on blockchain technology. The use of these decentralized solutions offers frictionless methods to share information through long periods of time in an open yet optionally private way. It also enables the creation of digital marketplaces that allow sellers to make their data available and designers to search and reserve products that are made available for reuse.

Objectives

• Develop a BIM library for modular units as a plugin for BIM authoring software.
• Develop a Digital Product Passport system built on top of blockchain technology for the storage and sharing of DPPs.
• Allow designer to access DPP data through the BIM library and reserve real-world products associated to these DPPs.