Blockchain is difficult to describe in simple terms – mostly because the mechanisms that make the system secure and “financial-grade” are complex, widely distributed, and require millions of calculations. But this is by design! The creators of the system had one goal – build a transparent, trusted network that creates the next generation of the Internet. They chose to create it with these attributes:
- You own your data. You choose how and when to share it. Nobody can take it away from you or use it without your permission.
- Your data is secured with unbreakable security.
- The system isn’t controlled by any one entity, so no single decision could lock you out of the system.
- The network is designed to be distributed across many users around the world, and your data is stored on many of these nodes at the same time as opposed to a single cloud server.
These attributes provide the trusted record of every action taken with data on the network. What does it mean to be “financial grade?” As of this writing, there is over $1.5 trillion invested in over 10,000 cryptocurrencies globally. That is an amazing level of adoption from its inception less than 12 years ago.
Why is this important? Because in today’s world, data is the currency and backbone of every business, regardless of what you create, sell, or do. Confidence that your data has not been tampered with or changed and can be verified at some future date is core to the value every business delivers. Using Blockchain as a mechanism for sharing and trading that data ensures the value it stands for is preserved and is secure – in perpetuity.
Why is Blockchain important to design and construction? Because while design and construction were historically analog practices, today they are massive data sets that lives well beyond the building’s completion. Where historically drawings were representations of a desired outcome and the tools and techniques used to construct it were based on centuries old methods, today design and construction are driven by complex digital tools and systems that intimately interact in complex ways. Today – design is data.
Because it is secure, and you control your data and how it is used, Blockchain represents an opportunity for the design and construction industry to become a design and construction ecosystem, where data sharing improves efficiency and outcomes. Building owners, designers, constructors, and operators will be able to create a trusted backbone of building information. Each party will have perpetual access to the information they create and share, with undeniable proof of authorship. Blockchain will be the foundation for future digital transformations as automation and robotics move construction into the 21st century.
Concert is built on this premise – that the digital infrastructure of design and construction will transform the way we create, build, and use our future cities. It is foundational, necessary to ensure that the data keeps its value over time. It is software and language agnostic, so it can be universally used in any system or country. Its application is built around the workflow and communication systems that lead to efficient practices. It is the start of the digital transformation we all have been waiting for.
Our interactions with the built environment are evolving rapidly. Smart sensors, building automation, and asset management will generate billions of interactions in the building data infrastructure. Securing and trusting that infrastructure is critical to an effective system. Concert provides that trust and the platform for perpetual use and application of your building data. It will evolve as the system evolves, because it is built on the platform of Blockchain, by Design!
