Rui Zhao

The University of Hong Kong | HKU · Department of Real Estate and Construction

Blockchain technology emphasizes trust and collaboration through distributed networks and is deemed to contribute to building information modeling (BIM) based construction collaboration and management. However, the open nature of blockchain introduces severe cybersecurity attacks that undermine the trustworthiness of construction management. One sa...

This paper explores the application of automated machine learning (AutoML) techniques to the construction industry, a sector vital to the global economy. Traditional ML model construction methods were complex, time-consuming, reliant on data science expertise, and expensive. AutoML shows the potential to automate many tasks in ML construction and t...

This paper explores the application of automated machine learning (AutoML) techniques to the construction industry, a sector vital to the global economy. Traditional ML model construction methods were complex, time-consuming, reliant on data science expertise, and expensive. AutoML shows the potential to automate many tasks in ML construction and t...

The existing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks lack transparency and consistency in reporting and can introduce extra costs to the industry. This study proposes a blockchain-based token economic model to incentive construction companies for their ESG performance and addresses the issues of transparency. The model is expected to...

[Free PDF:🌐 https://frankxue.com/#publications 🌐] Advanced information technologies such as the In-ternet of Things (IoT) and Modular Construction (MC) bring new potentials to the construction industry. The trustworthiness is critical for MC quality assurance (QA), particularly in the offshore manufacture stage. The emerging blockchain technology w...

[Free PDF:🌐 https://frankxue.com/#publications 🌐] Construction project management (CPM) is inherently complex and distributed, while digital twin and blockchain are recognized as promising solutions for information-reliant CPM. By learning from the lessons of Blockchain 1.0 and 2.0 paradigms in the literature, such as slow synchronization and faile...

The construction industry is encountering management issues, such as low efficiency, inadequate regulation and enforcement, absence of good coordination and knowledge sharing, and ineffective billing practices. Blockchain is also gaining momentum as a part of the digital transformation in the construction area and response to various challenges. Si...

A smart contract is a protocol that can self-execute when predefined conditions are met. This new technology is considered destructive and can transfer the construction industry. In Blockchain 2.0, the combined use of blockchain and smart contracts allows users to express business logic to achieve more advanced transactions. This research aims to c...

Sustainability in cross-border logistics requires issues such as fragmented management to be addressed. Particular challenges arise in cross-border logistics in modular construction (CLMC) because supervision is inefficient, primarily due to continued use of paper-based documentation. Researchers have developed digital platforms that integrate accu...

Onsite assembly is a critical stage for modular construction. Its success or failure depends on accurate information sharing among numerous stakeholders who, unfortunately, often possess unsynchronized information. Owing to its decentralized consensus mechanism, blockchain has the potential to improve information-sharing accuracy on construction si...

Configuring a trustworthy Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled building information modeling (BIM) platform (IBP) is significant for modular construction to ensure transparency, traceability, and immutability throughout its fragmented supply chain management. However, most current IBPs are designed adopting a centralized system architecture, which fail...

Traditionally, construction managers were considered more experienced in project management than off-site production management, although the latter is gaining importance with the renaissance of modular construction worldwide. Various Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled Building Information Modelling (BIM) platforms have been developed to facilitate p...

A smart contract is a protocol that can self-execute when predefined conditions are met. This new technology is considered destructive and can transfer the construction industry. In Blockchain 2.0, the combined use of blockchain and smart contracts allows users to express business logic to achieve more advanced transactions. This research aims to c...

Building information modeling (BIM) has been widely used as the information hub for collaborations and has increasingly been mandated in the construction industry over the past decade. From the information perspective, there have been three BIM-based exchange paradigms: (i) file-based, (ii) cloud-based, and (iii) blockchain-based. Digital twin (DT)...

Trust has been acknowledged as an essential element of inter-organizational relationships, and it also affects the efficiency of work operations. Although the construction industry has been pursuing trust for a long time, trust is still lacking and fragile among stakeholders. Blockchain seems to provide a promising approach through which trust can...

Blockchain technology has attracted the interest of the global construction industry for its potential to enhance the transparency, traceability, and immutability of construction data and enables collaboration and trust throughout the supply chain. However, such potential cannot be achieved without blockchain "oracles" needed to bridge the on-chain...

Blockchain technology has been explored for governmental supervision of construction work (GSCW) due to its merits of traceability, immutability, and transparency. However, its decentralized nature is seemingly incompatible with GSCW, which is a type of centralized governance per se. This research aims to find a network topology with a proper level...

By manufacturing housing products off-site and assembling on-site, modular construction can significantly improve the housing supply efficiency, particularly for high-density cities. However, off-site modular housing production (OMHP) supervision is currently problematic. The production parties are reluctant to provide detailed private data; Even w...