In an industry where intellectual property theft and project mismanagement can lead to massive financial losses, blockchain is emerging as a game changer. Architects, engineers, and designers are exploring how NFT-based ownership and licensing can secure blueprints, protect intellectual property, and streamline the construction process.
The construction industry has long struggled with issues of plagiarism, unauthorized modifications, and disputes over design ownership. Traditional copyright protections often fall short in preventing blueprints and designs from being replicated without permission.
Blockchain, however, offers a potential solution by making intellectual property ownership verifiable and tamper-proof.
“If you want to secure your design, yeah, you can do that. You can NFT your 3D model and then deploy it to the blockchain.”
By tokenizing blueprints and 3D models, architects and engineers can create an immutable record of ownership. This means that before a project even reaches the construction phase, designers have a way to prove authorship, track modifications, and prevent unauthorized usage.
Honest Data in Construction
“The big problem in construction is intellectual property... Designers say we can copy easily. If you have some image like that, then you can replicate it.”
Beyond ownership, blockchain can also play a role in project management. Smart contracts, self-executing contracts stored on the blockchain, could automate payments, track project milestones, and ensure accountability between stakeholders. This could reduce delays, prevent contract disputes, and improve overall project efficiency.
“We can integrate blockchain by securing the data at least safe.”
The construction industry’s issues when it comes to data integrity come at a massive cost. In 2020 alone, contractors worldwide lost an estimated $1.8 trillion due to bad data, defined as inaccurate, incomplete, inconsistent, or untimely numbers, according to Construction Dive.
As the construction industry moves toward digital transformation, blockchain technology presents a promising way to tackle long-standing challenges. While adoption is still in its early stages, projects like NFT Davao are demonstrating how Web3 can bring security and transparency to industries beyond finance and digital art.
With intellectual property protection, smart contract automation, and enhanced security, blockchain has the potential to reshape the way buildings are designed, funded, and constructed.
