Systematic literature review on smart contracts in the construction industry: Potentials, benefits, and challenges

The development of digital transformation in the construction industry has led to the increasing adoption of smart contracts. As programmable applications to automatically write, verify, and enforce transaction conditions, smart contracts can be used in different areas mainly to improve automation level, information security, and built digital environment enhancement. However, the smart contract is commonly mentioned as a blockchain appendage, while its unique connotation and value in the construction industry have not been recognized. Therefore, this study carries out a systematic review based on 81 research articles published from 2014 to 2021 on smart contract applications in construction to explore and highlight their potentials under domain-specific requirements. Results are analyzed according to research type categorization and domain codification. Eight research domains are identified, where the three most highly explored domains are contract and payment, supply chain and logistics, and information management. The integration of smart contracts with other innovative concepts and advanced technologies is analyzed. The applicability, benefits, and challenges of smart contract applications regarding different research domains are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, D-44801, Bochum, Germany Xuling Ye, Ningshuang Zeng & Markus König
2. Department of Construction Management and Real Estate, School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University (Jiulonghu Campus), Nanjing, 210096, China Ningshuang Zeng

1. Xuling Ye