The University of Hong Kong develops a Blockchain-based system to monitor construction quality

The Architecture Research Team at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) developed a blockchain-based system, dubbed E-Inspection 2.0, to track the quality of construction of student residences remotely, according to a press release.

E-Inspection 2.0 aids the management of construction quality inspection papers by  ensuring that construction site images and back-and-forth signed inspection files are all ‘accountable, traceable, and immutable.’

The system is also used to trace the movement of  building modules and assess if they have been damaged by moisture or other external variables by recording temperature, humidity, vibration, and position data received by sensors.

The press release states that the Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) technique was used on the university’s pilot dormitory project, the Wong Chuk Hang student housing to provide 1,224 hall places and is scheduled to be completed in Q2 of 2022.  Under the technique, around 1,000 building blocks were produced in mainland China’s Guangdong Province and transported to the construction site in Hong Kong to assemble the building structure. 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, professional inspectors were dispatched from the mainland  to perform inspection checks to ensure that modules manufactured in the Mainland and delivered to Hong Kong for on-site installation meet the required quality standards. This process relies heavily on  manpower and paperwork. The pandemic control measures including social distancing and border control measures places further difficulties for the inspectors to carry out the inspections on site.

The new E-Inspection 2.0 consists of a mobile application called e-inStar which encrypts standardized inspection processes and facilitates remote inspection checks.

Photo: The University of Hong Kong