The evolution of blockchain in smart buildings with IoT integration and future prospects
Sunawar Khan, Tehseen Mazhar, Tariq Shahzad, Muhammad Usman Tariq, Tariq Ali, Muhammad Ayaz, Weiwei Jiang, Habib Hamam · Telematics and Informatics Reports · 2026
The adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors in smart buildings introduces complex challenges around data privacy, integrity, interoperability, and governance. Blockchain—particularly permissioned and hybrid designs—offers immutability, fine-grained access control, and auditable workflows that can strengthen compliance and trust in building operations. This article synthesizes architectural patterns and operational trade-offs for integrating blockchain with smart-building IoT, focusing on latency-aware data placement (off-chain buffering with on-chain anchoring), identity and consent management, and verifiable telemetry for control loops. Across databases (IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, Springer, ACM & Wiley), 553 records were identified; Step 1 excluded 311. After duplicate removal and title/keyword screening (Step 2), 375 papers remained with 178 excluded; abstract screening (Step 3) yielded 336 papers with 39 excluded; introduction/conclusion criteria (Step 4) retained 264 with 72 excluded; full-text review (Step 5) resulted in 131 included studies. Consistently with Table 3, counts progressed from 553 (initial) to 375 (title/keyword), 336 (abstract), and 131 (final full-text). We summarize verified design choices and open issues—cross-chain interoperability, light-node feasibility, and empirical benchmarking for off-chain computing—to guide robust, efficient, and modifiable IoT infrastructures.