Hanif Thesis 2022
Hanif Thesis 2022
by
Ahmed Hanif
MASTER OF SCIENCE
IN CONSTRUCTION MANAGMENT
University of Houston
July 2022
Copyright 2022, Ahmed Hanif
DEDICATION
I would like to dedicate this thesis, especially to my parents, and my wife, Manam Khan, without
whose support this thesis would not have been possible.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I want to sincerely thank my thesis advisor, Dr. Lingguang Song, for his tremendous support
during my master’s thesis. He gave me the right direction and always encouraged me equally
during time of failure and success. I also want to express my sincerest gratitude to Dr. Lu Gao for
his gracious support and feedback. His motivation for perfection will always inspire me in my
future career. I appreciate the external committee member, Ms. Najla Baeshen for helping me
professors, the department, and my fellow colleagues for their constant support throughout my
research.
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ABSTRACT
The construction industry is responsible for over 35% of the extraction of natural resources and
30% of the world’s solid waste. This happens because the construction sector mostly applies a
linear economic model of “take, make, dispose of”, using materials to construct buildings, dispose
of them at the end of their life, as they are assembled for single-use, and have no potential for
reuse. In the last few decades, a paradigm shift has taken place across the industry, with the
adoption of a circular economy model that aims to keep materials in a closed loop to maintain their
maximum value, and thus greater potential for reducing waste generation, environmental impacts,
and resource extraction for the construction industry throughout the design, procurement,
construction, and operations. This research aims to identify the latest developments in how a
circular economy can benefit the construction industry through long-term life-cycle value creation,
and what changes need to be made to embrace a circular economy. To achieve this goal, a
systematic literature review, case study analysis, and an interview study were carried out. The
analysis of the case study has confirmed that by adopting the principles of the circular economy in
the construction of the people’s pavilion, the Company has achieved economic, environmental,
and social benefits as well. After conducting the whole analysis we can conclude that moving away
from a 'take, make, and dispose of' consumption model, circular economy strategies can help on
our journey towards a net zero economy along with financial gains. This research has identified
why and how construction companies should make efforts to execute CE in their projects to attain
financial and social benefits along with environmental benefits. This study will be helpful for
countries like America as it provides them with the route to initiate CE in the construction sector
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION.............................................................................................................................. iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ iv
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... v
LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... ix
LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ x
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1
1.1 Background ...................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Problem Statement ................................................................................................................ 4
1.3 Objectives ............................................................................................................................. 7
1.4 Expected Contribution to the Industry .................................................................................. 7
1.5 Thesis Organization .............................................................................................................. 8
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................... 9
2.1 Awareness of Circular Economy .......................................................................................... 9
2.1.1 Current Circular Economy Awareness in the Market .................................................. 10
2.1.2 Understanding the Strategies of CE adoption in capital projects ................................ 11
2.1.3 Implementation of CE strategies in capital projects .................................................... 12
2.2 CE and various existing design and construction strategies ............................................... 14
2.3 Economic, social and environmental benefits .................................................................... 18
2.3.1 Benefits of the implementation of CE ......................................................................... 18
2.4 Challenges and future needs of CE adoption ...................................................................... 20
(i) Performance and Quality ................................................................................................ 20
(ii) Information...................................................................................................................... 20
(iii) Culture and Perception ................................................................................................... 21
(iv) Finance ........................................................................................................................... 21
(v) Missing key economic enablers ...................................................................................... 21
(vii) Knowledge, Lack of Technology and Education .......................................................... 22
2.5 Observations and Summary ................................................................................................ 22
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................ 24
3.1. Proposed framework for the implementation of CE Strategies in capital projects ............ 24
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3.1.1 Hybrid Framework of ReSOLVE and 5R Imperative ................................................. 24
3.1.2 Implementation of CE strategies through the project lifecycle ................................... 26
3.1.2. Stage 2: Design ........................................................................................................... 27
3.1.3. Stage 3: Procurement .................................................................................................. 28
3.1.4. Stage 4: Construction .................................................................................................. 29
3.1.5. Stage 5: Operation and Maintenance .......................................................................... 32
3.1.6. Stage 6: End of life ..................................................................................................... 32
3.2 Research Methodology ....................................................................................................... 34
3.2.1 Case Study Analysis .................................................................................................... 35
3.2.2 Qualitative Interview Analysis .................................................................................... 35
3.2.3 Purpose of Thematic analysis and Software ................................................................ 36
3.2.4 Population and Sampling technique............................................................................. 36
3.3 Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................................ 37
CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ........................................................... 38
4.1 Case Study of Arup ............................................................................................................. 38
4.1.1 Overview ...................................................................................................................... 38
4.1.2 Circular Projects of Arup and Toolkit Strategies ............................................................. 40
4.2 The People Pavilion ............................................................................................................ 44
4.2.1 Overview ...................................................................................................................... 44
4.2.2 Motivating Factors behind the Adoption of Circular Economy in the People’s Pavilion
............................................................................................................................................... 45
4.2.3 Implementation of Circular Economy principles during Construction........................ 45
4.2.4 Role of Designers behind the Strategies of Arup......................................................... 45
4.2.5 Role of Suppliers and Manufacturers .......................................................................... 46
4.2.6 Role of Engineers in a truly Circular System .............................................................. 47
4.2.7 Impacts of Circular Economy on People’s Pavilion ........................................................ 47
4.2.8 Lesson Learned ................................................................................................................ 49
4.3 Case Study on Circular London .......................................................................................... 49
4.3.1 Thames Tunnel of the London ......................................................................................... 50
4.3.3 Strategies behind the adoption of Circular Principles...................................................... 51
4.3.4 Motivating Factors for embedding CE ............................................................................ 51
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4.3.5 Opportunities for applying for CE ................................................................................... 52
4.3.6 Application of Circular principles in Tunnel ................................................................... 52
4.3.7 Impacts of Applying Circular Economy in Tunnel.......................................................... 52
4.3.8 Lesson Learnt ................................................................................................................... 53
4.4 Qualitative Thematic Analysis ............................................................................................ 53
Phase 1: Reading, Interpreting, and Providing Context to Text ........................................... 53
Phase 2: Coding of Text ........................................................................................................ 55
Phase 3: Theme Development .............................................................................................. 55
Chapter 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................... 62
5.1.1 Case Study Analysis ........................................................................................................ 63
Arup Case Study ....................................................................................................................... 63
Circular London Case Study ..................................................................................................... 63
5.1.2 Interview Analysis ........................................................................................................... 64
5.2 Limitations of the Study...................................................................................................... 68
5.3 Recommendations for Future Research .............................................................................. 68
5.4 Implications of the Study .................................................................................................... 69
5.4.1 Theoretical Implications .............................................................................................. 69
5.4.2 Practical Implications................................................................................................... 69
REFRENCES .............................................................................................................................. 70
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................. 73
APPENDIX A: Interview Questions ..................................................................................... 73
APPENDIX B: Code System of Flour ................................................................................... 74
APPENDIX C: Code System of Arup ................................................................................... 76
APPENDIX D: Proposed Questionnaire for Future Researchers ...................................... 79
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LIST OF FIGURES
ix
LIST OF TABLES
x
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Circular Economy (CE) can be explained as a concept used to ensure that there is a closed-loop
flow of materials to reduce the consumption or continuous use of the available natural resources
of global challenges such as loss of biodiversity, climate change, waste, and pollution while also
revealing new opportunities for economic development (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2019). CE
is believed to hold the potential to transform the way we design, manufacture, consume and dispose
of materials. It is based on three fundamental principles: waste and pollution elimination, the
preservation of reusable products and materials, and ecological regeneration systems (Ellen
Population growth and rapid urban expansion impose severe pressure on the finite resources of the
planet. The availability of resources is widely debated on whether the issue is a scarcity of
resources or the difficulty to upscale production capacity quick enough to meet demand, which
may be more related to social, economic and geopolitical aspects. It is widely recognized that the
construction industry consumes large quantities of resources while producing a large number of
wastes and emissions. For a long time, the construction industry has operated on a "linear" model,
which means that it has generally involved the use of raw materials to make building materials,
and the majority of waste generated during the construction and demolition process is discarded
afterwards while some wastes are recycled. To preserve natural resources and the prosperity and
safety of our people and communities now and in the future, we must rethink the current linear
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According to Ghisellini and colleagues (2018), CE aims at promoting new designs, maximum
reuse of goods, components, and other materials to conserve the natural ecological systems,
refurbishing or repairing existing structures, and recycling construction materials while decreasing
material waste generation. In the context of engineering and construction projects, CE involves
changing the current design and construction methodology to one that maximizes the best potential
value of construction materials and products and further improves construction materials
utilization patterns to extend their product life. The lifecycle of a built facility starts from planning,
design, and construction, to operation, maintenance, and demolition. Planning and design are
primarily guided by specific owners' needs and market demand. CE-inspired innovative design
concepts, such as design out waste, design for resource efficiency, design for deconstruction and
disassembly to ensure adaptability and flexibility, have been highly valued by early adopters for
2019).
The public has also increasingly put reducing wastes in construction, operation, and demolition
under scrutiny. This reflects the fact that the construction industry produces very high volumes of
waste from construction, remodeling, and demolition due to high resource consumption associated
with construction material manufacturing yet a low product recovery rate (i.e. reuse of construction
materials) (Alberto, 2020). Alberto Lopez (2020) argued that CE provides a conceptual framework
that spans different industries to tackle the above issue. It can potentially help the construction
industry to make a breakthrough in practices, such as highly efficient usage of available natural
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resources, refurbishing structures, and recycling of construction materials, which can lead to
Past studies on circular economy for the construction industry shows that they were concentrated
on recycling Construction and Demolition Waste (C&DW) only, thus lack of attention on other
aspects of design and construction as advocated by CE (Adams, Mohamed, Tony, & Jane, 2019).
Generally, companies are involved in the sustainability, and green building rather than
implementing CE. Companies are adopting practices to attain the UN sustainable development
goal and belief that these practices are similar to CE (United Nations Development Programme,
2015). However, CE is different and useful to attain the big picture of the sustainability in the
terms of financial and social returns along with environmental benefits. CE is different and new
than other existing sustainability practices in the market including LEEDS, Lean or green buildings
but usually companies have a misconception that CE is similar to green buildings and
sustainability. According to Giliam et al. (2021), a holistic and integral approach towards CE is
needed to ensure that the underlying CE goals of contributing to sustainable development and
adoption, the industry must also have a complete understanding of various benefits associated with
such adoption.
After reviewing all the definitions and elaborations, it can be observed that CE revolves around
the idea of minimum consumption of resources resulting in minimum waste and lesser greenhouse
emissions to maintain sustainable development. Figure 1.1 is showing the Circular Economy by
Resolve Framework.
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Figure 1.1 Circular Economy in accordance with RESOLVE Framework
(Gower & Schroder, 2016)
The CE theory and practice are still largely in their infancy, such as in North America. However,
it has the potential to disrupt many industries, including the engineering and construction sector.
It is beneficial to first gain a better understanding of the CE concept and its impact on current
engineering and construction practice before its possible adoption in real-world projects.
America. Given the increasing attention on sustainability and climate change, along with
the potential benefits of CE, the industry needs a better understanding and awareness of
CE.
The current linear model of design and construction is a straightforward linear process. They
are based on finite raw materials being used to build structures that have a limited life
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expectancy, and toward the end of their lifecycle, those structures are demolished if necessary,
According to Bergstorm (2020), every year in the United States, the construction industry
waste constitutes a large proportion of the total amount of generated waste. For example, in
2017, about 569 million tons of construction and demolition waste was generated. This linear
model does not allow for asset end-of-life consideration for proper refurbishing, repairing,
recycling, and reuse of materials, completely against the CE principles. Thus, the circular
model promoted by CE requires a rethinking and redesign of the traditional designs and
construction strategies to reduce raw materials consumption and increase recycled materials
current challenges in sustainability and to shift away from the current linear model which takes
the form of “take-use-dispose.” The limited awareness of CE and lack of interest and
Osmani, Thorpe, & Hobbs, 2017). Additionally, various other reasons including financial
concerns were raised by stakeholders, such as increased costs or the perception of low return-
industry context.
2. Improving efficiency, sustainability, and reducing environmental impacts are not new to
the construction industry. New theories and practices were constantly brought into design
and construction work, such as lean project delivery, Leadership in Energy and
and design-for-demolition, which have played an active role in reducing project cost and
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duration, improving energy efficiency, and minimizing carbon footprint among other
benefits. However, how do CE concepts relate to or are different from these existing
strategies?
For example, some of the newer capital projects have been constructed and earned LEED
energy, water, and material efficiency, along with environmental quality. While sharing some
similar goals, CE is also different from LEED, such as CE’s unique focus and practice of
designing and reuse of materials with recyclability components. While the two concepts can
be complementary to each other, they may cause conflicts in decision-making, such as material
3. What are existing CE practices and what are the costs (design, procurement, construction
costs etc.) and benefits (environmental, cost, quality, safety, etc.) of these CE practices?
Numerous past studies indicate that the construction industry in general is hesitant in adopting
new concepts and technologies, and CE has no exception, largely due to the risk and
uncertainty in costs and benefits of adopting them. However, there have been some steps in
implementing strategies that are related to CE as more entities are placing a focus on reporting
ESG efforts against the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs)
analysis framework to help stakeholders understand various costs and benefits associated with
4. Finally, what are the perceived challenges in adopting the CE concept and what is the
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Since its introduction in the construction industry in European countries, the adoption of CE has
faced different challenges. After all, CE is the latest attempt to conceptualize a viable integration
identify these challenges; both perceived or anticipated, associated with CE adoption, and outline
1.3 Objectives
The objective of this research is to gain a better understanding of the CE concept about existing
industry practices, clarify the benefits of CE, and identify challenges in CE adoption and future
research needs.
strategies.
2. To clarify the relationship, synergy, and potential conflicts between CE and various
3. To assess the economic, social and environmental benefits associated with the
implementation of CE.
This current research contributes to the construction industry literature by improving a better
benefits in the terms of social, economic, and environmental perspectives will be valuable to
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stakeholders such as clients, contractors, suppliers, financial institutions, and
and improve collaboration among different project stakeholders such as clients, contractors,
sustainability goals. A better understanding of CE, its costs and benefits, and adoption issues will
This report is organized into five chapters, including this introductory chapter. Chapter 2 explores
previous research in the form of a literature review. Chapter 3 outlines the methodology adopted
in this study, including case study, interview study, and data analysis. Results from the case study
data analysis and thematic analysis are presented in Chapter 4. The conclusion and future research
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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
This section discusses the past and current studies concerning the application of circular economy
in major capital projects. This section also discusses the current level of awareness about the
circular economy among the various stakeholders, and how it can be improved in the coming future
The first objective of this study is to improve the awareness, understating, and implementation of
CE strategies in capital projects in the construction sector. The most crucial step is to improve the
awareness of the Circular Economy in the construction sector. This purpose can also be
accomplished by raising the importance of CE and the reasons why we need to shift towards a
Circular Economy from the traditional strategies as well as elaborating on the opportunities,
environmental, social, and economic benefits due to the implementation of the circular economy.
First, it is essential to explore current awareness of CE in the market through different surveys and
According to Green construction bond, an online survey was conducted to analyze the level of
awareness, and examination of challenges and enablers. The respondents of the questionnaire
consisted of consultants (26%), contractors (25%), clients (14%), product manufacturers (10%),
and designers (7%). some other respondents were also included such as government
representatives (4%), and trade associations covering reuse flooring, building products and
concrete (4%). More than half of the respondents were from large organizations. A meeting event
was also conducted for this purpose. (58%) attendees were from large companies having more than
10 years of experience in the construction sector (Adams, Mohamed, Tony, & Jane, 2019).
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2.1.1 Current Circular Economy Awareness in the Market
The responses of respondents in the GCB survey can be summarized in Figure 2, showing that the
designers (2.09 on a scale of 4?), clients (1.96), and sub-contractors (1.63) had a very low level of
awareness about CE, leading to a negative impact on the uptake of the circular economy. However,
most of the manufacturer attendees were aware of CE due to the existing work of various material
organizations as a whole was perceived to be lower than their own. Figure 2.1 is showing the level
RESPONSES: MEAN
Responses:
Responses:
mean, Sub-
mean, Clients
contractors ,
, 1.8, 19%
1.5, 16%
Responses: mean,
Responses: mean,
Contractors , 2,
Designers, 2, 21%
22%
Responses: mean,
Manufacturers, 2,
22%
Figure 2.1 Level of awareness for circular economy in the construction sector by GCB,2016 (1)
It is clear from the results that most of the respondents were fully aware of the facts of CE so to
transparently and measurably. This approach was supported in the breakout session, especially in
the business case. It had been proven through the survey and event responses that the lack of
knowledge, interest and limited awareness were the main challenges in the implementation of CE.
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2.1.2 Understanding the Strategies of CE adoption in capital projects
The concept of circular economy has gone through several stages of evolution ever since its
inception in the 1970s. Several studies on circular economy explained that the founding principle
of CE lies in the efficient management of supplies and waste by reducing the unwanted or
discarded material, minimizing the energy requirement and material in a closed loop (Geissdoerfer,
2017).
According to World economic forum (2016), the approaches involved in the circular economy
include durable design, repair, remanufacturing, refurbishing, reuse; maintenance and recycling
which can be executed in capital projects and the techniques to achieve them are designed for
towards design and system views to achieve a better life cycle result. To attain such a sustainable
consequence, the principles of closed-loop design are considered. Sassi (2008) framed a standard
Moreover, it is insufficient just to address the material itself without paying attention to the
construction or the installation practices. To be classified as a closed loop cycle, the material has
2. Components of the material can be reused and/or recycled upwards within the
To satisfy the first criteria, the building has to be constructed in a way that it can be deconstructed
later. The second phase involves the disposal of material and its constituents through closed-loop
cycles. This can be done by utilizing building elements and materials from old buildings through
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reuse or recycling infinitely through organic and industrial processes to upgrade the material’s
quality.
Several studies analyzed the value of reutilization of materials using various recovery techniques.
According to Ness et al (2015) steel should be tracked digitally to facilitate its use in new buildings.
However, the potential for reutilization of steel depends upon its quality condition.
Different project stakeholders, such as clients, designers, contractors and manufacturers, can view
CE implementation.
• Role of client
Project clients play a major role in providing an environment for CE adaptation at a project level.
Nevertheless, it has been observed that there is a lack of experience and a long-term vision in
choosing their implementation strategy. It is also the key challenge faced by other businesses in
the construction supply chain for CE implementation. For clients to play the central role, support
is required from other players of the supply chain by providing new business models, technological
• Role of designers
The role of the designer’s circular economy has become even more relevant than that of the
traditional value chain. A designer acts as a facilitator among various stakeholders in order to
integrate proficiencies and mutual advantages. Designers have a chance to apply circularity
throughout the project lifecycle by the development of innovative CE strategies. In order to ensure
longevity, reuse, flexibility, reuse and deconstruction design, CE strategies must be incorporated
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CE begins with circular product design, and in the case of construction, the products have a very
long life e.g., the Pantheon and Colosseum are still viable building even being 2,000 years old.
This longevity is achieved by not only good design but also through good maintenance and
management. The building designer however cannot do this alone. They needs up-to-date
• Role of manufacturers/suppliers
Manufacturers and suppliers play a pivotal role in creating and sustaining a circular economy.
Their products are designed considering biological and technical nutrient cycles and ensuring the
restoration by intension and design. Hence, the value of the product stays preserved throughout
the project life cycle. For technical nutrients, the products must be designed for long life, upgrade,
recycle, repair, reuse, or remanufacture at the end of their life. For biological nutrients, the products
Material suppliers and manufacturers can work at both ends of the recycle/reuse cycle through the
application of take back scheme (Tserng, Cheng-Mo, & Yun-Tsui, 2021). In this scheme, a
supplier or manufacturer can take used materials back at the end of their life, thus more value can
be extracted from the used materials and lesser virgin material will be needed for the production
• Role of contractors
Contractors have the opportunity of choosing circular materials, and minimizing material, water
and energy wastes on the project site. Novel technologies like product passports and embedding
data into computer-generated construction model are required to give assurances to the contractors
regarding the quality and legality of the recycled materials (Blomsma & Brennan, 2017).
According to Carra and Magdani (2017), contractors have already been applying prefabrication
and computer generator models to upgrade the efficiency and to reduce the cost and time spent on
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site. More improvement in digital instruments would be required for close coordination of the rest
of the value chain with contractors. They may also support contractors to achieve goals for zero
waste of construction, closed loop, recycling of water and energy as well as significantly
decreasing the risks related to health and safety on the construction sites by utilizing human
• Implementation Approach
To implement the strategic circular elements, as shown in Figure 2.2, a phased approach is
developed for the short-term gain and viability for long-term value creation. (Ellen MacArthur
Foundation, 2019)
In depth
information Recognize Apply
Action
of Resiliant Accessible Monitoring
Goals Plan
current Plan
Situation
Figure 2.2 Implementation Approach for CE in Capital Projects by Ellen MacArthur Foundation
The second objective of this study is to clarify the relationship, synergy, and potential conflicts
between CE and various existing design and construction strategies. Many other strategies for
sustainable construction have come into development for quite a while, such as lean project
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deconstruction and Living Building Challenge etc. Table 2.3 below provides a comparison of CE
Lean project delivery focuses The manufacturing sector can Lean project delivery is product-
on building capital projects to benefit from the synergy of Lean focused whereas circular economy
be constructed in an organized and CE. Their combination seems has a broader context and is focused
manner. It includes pro-
natural as both processes produce on the system production level.
environmental and green
construction practices by effective outcomes with their Lean project design focuses on
maximizing the use of common element to eliminate maximizing the throughput of a
renewable energy, producing waste and value creation. project, which leads to material
less construction waste and losses after demolishing. A circular
less hazardous building The model of the circular economy economy looks at the bigger picture
materials. (Ellen MacArthur presents an idyllic elucidation of and deals with increasing the
Foundation, 2019) the existing global problems of overall system efficiency by using
environmental damage resource sustainable practices.
scarcity and the creation of a
Lean closed-loop economic system. A linear economy is a traditional
Project pattern of economy consisting of a
On the other hand, Lean has take-make-dispose scheme. The
Delivery linear method maximizes the use
proven successful in waste
elimination and creates value by of existing raw materials before
their transmission into the product
the accomplishment of efficiency
disposing of the unusable
and economic benefits. materials. Whereas, the circular
economy is a paradigm shift from
the linear economy to one that
keeps products and materials in
use, and designs out waste and
pollution.
LEED (Leadership in Energy The latest version of LEED i.e., LEED concepts are relevant to
and Environmental Design) is LEED v4.1 has brought into the sustainability whereas the concept
the most widely used green concept of a rating system for the of circular economy is different.
building ranking system complete building lifecycle and
globally (Kirchherr, Reike, & material optimization and
Hekkert, 2017). A framework reporting. In the latest version of
The goal of sustainability is to
LEED for healthy, highly efficient, New Construction and Major
benefit the economy, environment,
and cost-saving green Renovation, the MR credit
and society mainly. Whereas,
buildings is provided by requirement complements the CE
economic actors are the main
concepts. For construction and
beneficiaries of the Circular
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LEED for virtually all types of renovation projects, the MR credits Economy (Reike, Vermeulen, &
buildings. require the contractor/client to Witjes, 2017) Also, the perspective
reduce the volume of Construction of responsibilities differs between
and Demolition (C&D) waste to be LEED and circular economy.
incinerated or landfilled by
reusing, recovering and recycling Within sustainability, the
the materials responsibilities are not clearly
defined and are shared while it has
been indicated by the literature that
the responsibilities of a circular
economy include private business,
policymakers and regulators
(European Union, 2020) And all
these sectors of the circular
economy have different goals,
interests, and commitments behind
them. In LEED, the major interest
alignment is on sustainability
between the stakeholders.
However, circular economy
prioritizes fewer resources
consumption and pollution in the
environment and financial
advantages for companies.
Modularization is the process Modularization and CE both have Despite similarities between
to convert the construction and major similarities in some aspects. modularization and circular
design of a stick-built plant or In CE, the design does not only economy, few differences occur
Modulari monolithic to facilitate focus on functionality but also which act as challenges and
zation modules of the factory emphasizes managing the divergence of modularization and
fabrication for installation and infrastructure’s end life. It also CE. In the modularization process,
shipment in the field as a concentrates on how the
complete assembly. The shift components can be a part of new 1) There is a higher level of
from traditional stick-built production chains or infrastructure. management effort in the
towards modularization is the Correspondingly, modularization modularization process.
key factor to reduce has already been applied in the 2) Before construction, there
construction cost and time as building construction sector which is a need to design a
described at length in the contributes to circularity in four collision-free crane-lifting
literature (UKCG, 2021) ways (EEA Report, 2017) plan.
3) Additional transportation
1) Waste is produced in a activities imply higher
smaller quantity in a logistic costs.
controlled environment 4) The management of
exactly opposite to the unnecessary inconsistency
traditional construction geometric risks.
site. 5) Occurrence of
2) Transportation of material uncertainties in off-site
and components is less, logistics.
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thus ultimately reducing
emissions.
3) Reduces the demand for
raw materials and amount
of energy because of the
possibility of
disassembling,
refurbishing and
relocating modules to
reuse them.
4) Without the destruction of
buildings’ basic structure,
the possibility of repairing
or modifying the parts and
materials enhances.
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2.3 Economic, social and environmental benefits
The Economic, social and environmental benefits of CE can be examined about the United
Nations’ 2030 sustainable development goals (UNSDGs) (Salvalai, Sesana, Brutti, & Imperadori,
2020).
There are various environmental benefits, which can be achieved through CE implementation in
construction projects. All these environmental benefits are related to UNSDGs. Due to the
It is significant to provide the information and knowledge on the social, environmental and
stakeholders. Here are some major benefits of CE reported in past literature (Europarl & Ton,
2020)
● Stimulates innovation
● Boost up the economic growth (an additional 0.5% of gross domestic product),
● Waste prevention, eco-design and re-use are such measures which can save money
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● More durable and innovative products will be provided to the consumers, which proliferate
The case study of Better Future Factory (2018) has proved that by applying CE strategies in their
business processes, various social and environmental benefits can be achieved. Better Future
Factory produced sustainable design products. This company introduced a better way of
transforming the plastic waste stream into scalable and valuable products by implementing CE
strategies. Currently, 9% of global plastic waste has been recycled every year, but the problem
arises when the converted product could not be used for another useful lifecycle. Therefore, the
implementation of a closed-loop cycle and reuse of plastic waste introduce sustainable products
for future generations. Better, Future Factory used plastic building wastes, thus reducing waste,
contributing to zero-waste production and material reuse. It promotes the eco-designs of buildings.
Ultimately, it saved the money of various companies during different phases of their business.
Similarly, outside of the construction industry, a study by CLT Company proved that various
Seyedmahmoudi, Haapala, & Hoyle, 2013). In 2012, CLT Company collected over 2 million dead
phones from consumers. Usually, there was no such mandatory electronic waste collection policy,
law, or regulation to recycle such electronic waste. However, following the principle of a close
loop cycle, the company proved that it was possible to utilize the waste for numerous useful
products leading to the business success of the company. The closed loop of dead phones also
enhanced consumers’ awareness of sustainability CLT educated their employees and clients about
the benefits of the closed loop. 2 million mobile phones were saved from being disposed and it
promoted waste minimization. The step of the burning of electronic waste was eliminated due to
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These opportunities and benefits associated with CE are in alignment with Sustainable
utilization of renewable resources, waste management, zero waste production, energy saving, and
actions plan for climate change are some of the SGDs which can easily be achieved through the
This section reviews past efforts in understanding the challenges of adopting a Circular Economy
One barrier to recycling of C&D waste is used material quality condition. To make sure that all
the materials are in good condition, they need to be sorted manually and require significant
investment in time and labour. Material separation is extremely important for hazardous materials
wood, and this step is performed either on-site or at the transfer station. Additional cost for labour
work is required for this purpose along with the storage cost.. In short, good separation practices
and a corresponding resource investment are required to reuse materials of a large amount.
(ii) Information
Within the construction industry, there is a lack of information on the significance of recycling
and the potential environmental benefits of CE. The benefits of using recycled materials are
unknown to many practitioners, and these should be discussed with the workforce (Hossain et al
2020).
20
(iii) Culture and Perception
Various industries do not consider C&D material as a potential source as its value is still not
recognized. Most construction practitioners consider the waste as true waste to be simply disposed
of, and not as a potential for the renewable source. Internationally, the focus has been shifting
towards renewable and recyclable technologies to meet the goals of sustainability. Therefore, a
shift of the industry’s perception and culture is required from cost efficiency to sustainable
solutions.
(iv) Finance
Significant financial investments (e.g. asset investment, payment to promote new business
models, and research and development) are necessary to uphold the innovative strategies of CE
in the construction sector. Currently, there is a lack of appropriate financial tools for the mass
Related to the above, CE adoption requires a pricing system covering environmental costs and
incentives for recyclers and producers so that they work together to enhance the market for
There are potential limitations in the recycling of certain materials. Due to impurities in recycled
materials, indefinite recycling of such materials cannot be performed, such as the reuse of paper,
21
(vii) Knowledge, Lack of Technology and Education
There is a lack of technical skills in the workforce to handle CE adoption (Wang H. , Zhang, Gao,
In the construction sector, many workers and companies are unaware of the benefits of the circular
economy. Education plays a vital role in introducing change from conventional norms.
Construction professionals are responsible to learn the benefits of CE and promote its practice
among the workforce. Moreover, regulatory authorities and government also need to conduct
seminars and workshops to educate the construction sector. The absence of technology is also one
of the barriers to the implementation of CE strategies in the construction sector (Wang H. , Zhang,
From the study of the literature review, it can be observed that there is a major lack of interest
combined with a low level of awareness among stakeholders, employees, and business owners
regarding CE in capital construction projects. Thus, the progress of CE adoption in the construction
sector is slow so far. There is a belief among designers, contractors, manufacturers, and suppliers
that the current construction strategies are the analogue of CE strategies so there is no specific
reason to introduce CE strategies in the construction sector as this shift will introduce many
barriers.
Stakeholders have to face a few barriers to shifting from traditional construction practices toward
innovative CE strategies. Some of the barriers are the absence of key economic enablers, high
costs, scarcity of workforce skills, and lack of knowledge. It has been observed that financial
instability acts as the root cause for many other challenges in the construction sector. In addition,
22
there is not enough information about environmental benefits and business profit that companies
Consequently, an innovative business planning framework is proposed in this study, which is based
on the combination of the RESOLVE framework and 5R Imperatives as described later. This
framework is expected to lead toward input reduction, waste avoidance, and efficiency gain
23
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
To implement the circularity within the operation of a capital project, the ReSOLVE framework
(citation here) is presented for engineering, procurement, construction, and management (EPCM)
projects. EPCM contracts mean that a contractor will provide all Engineering, procurement,
construction, and management services to the project client. The EPCM contractor may also hire
subcontractors (Skaik, 2009). This framework has significance for the policymakers and
practitioners and highlights the growth towards achieving sustainable development goals.
An innovative business planning framework is proposed here, which is based on the combination
of the ReSOLVE framework and 5R Imperatives. ReSOLVE framework consists of six building
blocks, i.e., Regenerate, Share Optimize, Loop, Virtualize, and Exchange. Whereas the principles
of 5R are Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, and Recycle, which are more applicable to building
projects. 5R-Imperative is the best fit in combination with ReSolve to ensure some of the
circularity practices. The implementation of these building blocks in EPCM contracts can be
24
Table 3.1 Integration of ReSOLVE framework with the construction sector
• Zero emissions
• Closed loop strategies
Regenerate
Reuse, Recycle, Repair
• Maintenance, upgradeability,
Share and designs for durability Rethink
• Built spaces to be utilized
more efficiently
• Implementation of smart
technologies
Virtualize • Introduce BIMS to ensure no Reduce, Rethink
unnecessary material is
procured
25
3.1.2 Implementation of CE strategies through the project lifecycle
The ReSOLVE framework and its scope during each stage of the project life cycle are described
below.
At the beginning of a project, various stakeholders of the project should be encouraged to apply
the latest construction techniques to implement circularity within their operations. In this phase,
Various capacity-building awareness and training camps should be arranged. This step is very
important as without upskilling personnel concerning circularity, a new CE initiative may fail to
transform the traditional construction strategies into circular thinking. These training should
include all the stakeholders throughout the value chain including designers, contractors, suppliers,
manufacturers, project managers, site supervisors and even the field workers. They will be given
training on how to use the software such as BIMS, and other apps used for automatic trouble
shooting. They should be briefed about techniques for waste minimization and water energy
A Circular Skills Programme has been initiated by a sustainable education cooperate known as
Lerenvoor Morgen in the Netherlands to reach its ambitious goals to attain full circularity by 2050.
This corporate works to fill the gap between professional practice and vocation training in circular
economy. This firm has identified that currently gaps exist in digital skills related to Building
identification (RFID) technology spell out, 3D printing techniques, and the application of material
passport to aid the construction of modular, adaptive and remount able buildings. (Economy, 2021)
Another best practice during project initiation stage is the elimination of the paper plans and files
to save money and time as well reduction of paper waste with the introduction of construction
26
management software. This software should be available across the value chain where every link
in the chain has sufficient knowledge about building design, policies devised for the efficient
The next and most crucial step in every capital project is the design of the project. The designer
has the most important responsibility to visualize the operation and end-life of project in the
beginning. Therefore, the designs are arranged so it will perform well throughout the project life
to accomplish the goals of the circular economy. Here Regenerate, Optimize, Loop, and Exchange
There are many ways to phase out waste during the design stage. First is the addition of specified
contract clause concerning waste minimization in the contractual agreement. Through this clause,
contractor can be penalized for poor waste management performance. Past studies identified that
standardization and pre-fabrication of building components may lead to less amount of waste
production. The designers can also increase the recyclability and reusability of material through
selection of component types and their connections, choice of structural system, and materials to
allow flexibility for the installation of prefabricated parts from older projects.
The project should be designed in a way that its material can disassembled and retrofitted in the
new projects. Several design concepts can be introduced in this stage to facilitate deconstruction
such as the use of compressed wheat straw material as a partition panel with paper facing to be
used as an alternative to drywall and lightwood, which has the additional benefit of being
recyclable and homogenous material. An example is the separation of long-lived components from
the short-lived component to allow adaptation and reduction of complexity during deconstruction.
27
The introduction of rainwater and greywater harvesting techniques can also minimize wastewater.
Grey water consists of the water already been used in sinks, dishwashers and baths. This water can
be cleaned up and recycled back into the water supply to be used in washing machines, toilets, and
outside taps. Using such a system would reduce water consumption by as much as 50%. Rainwater
harvesting system is also similar; however, grey water harvesting system does not rely on rain. It
is plentiful in supply on regular basis as more clean water being used in dishwashing and
After the design stage, the next logical stage is the procurement of materials for construction. Here
Regenerate and Exchange part of the ReSOLVE will be implemented to ensure circularity of
operations.
The most convenient way to reduce the impact of procurement of virgin raw material is to limit
the demand of such materials. Alternatively, the demand can be meet through secondary materials
procured through reuse, remanufacture, and repair of existing material in the system The material
locally to the project site as much as possible to limit the carbon footprint from logistics.
Precaution should be taken to ensure that no hazardous or toxic material containing asbestos and
lead is procured. These materials can be found in fibrous insulation, synthetic material used as
caulking, binders, adhesives, sealants, coating and binders etc. These materials are not only toxic
and bad for environment but also been banned by most of the governments around the world.
Other ways of ensuring circularity include the introduction of innovative technologies such as 3D
printing and LED fittings. Promotion of offsite construction involve the procurement of
28
prefabricated portions of building and reduce onsite use of energy and subsequent emissions.
Material take-back schemes should be discussed with the suppliers while passing tenders. The
introduction of a product lease instead of owning a new product for every project is also another
After design and procurement, the next step is to materialize the ideas by using the resources from
the procurement stage. Here, Optimize, exchange, virtualize and loop strategies of ReSOLVE
information using multimedia tools, combined emails, voice-based tools, and handheld computing
such as smartphones and tablets throughout the value chain of capital project. Introduction of
BIMS (building information modeling), Ultra-wide band (UWB), RFID (Radio frequency
identification), and GIS (geographic imaging systems) is implemented for smart usage of material
Use of machinery running hybrid technology or battery can be introduced to reduce emissions
produced from construction equipment such as dredgers, excavators, concrete mixers etc.
Water must be conserved during construction processes and must not be allowed to mix with
nearby water bodies through runoff from the construction site. The building material such as sand
and cement should be kept secured to avoid water mixing. An efficient drainage system can be
developed that does not let any water to be wasted during construction processes and the same
29
Use of off-site construction facility as much as possible to save time and energy utilized in onsite
construction. Some of the notable offsite construction methods include the use of off-site
preassembly, modular building, penalized systems and hybrid system, Prefabricated building unit
can be developed in the factories rather on construction site where the carbon footprint of
construction can be controlled more effectively (Lu, 2009). Figure 3.1 is citing that material and
30
Figure 3.1 Material and component in a closed loop during construction project
(Rahla, Mateus, & Bragança, 2021)
31
3.1.5. Stage 5: Operation and Maintenance
In this stage, Share, Virtualize and optimization strategies of ReSOLVE will be employed. Circular
economy strategies can also be employed during the operation and maintenance phase to make the
life of the project prolonged through maintenance, repair and upgradation. Most of the water is
consumed in the operational phase of the building. Water efficiency can be achieved during
operation phase by maximum harvesting of rainwater and grey water and to keep the water in loop
as much as possible. Similarly, energy is mostly used in the use phase of the building. The use of
such material that are energy intensive upsurges the building has embodied energy. Reduction in
energy consumption can be achieved by improving the thermal insulation of buildings. The
projects after completion should be utilized as much as possible through asset sharing. The areas
At the end of project cycle, efforts should be made to salvage the material as much as possible
during the demolition and dismantling process. In this stage, Regenerate part of ReSOLVE will
be implemented.
Reverse logistics is to be applied on this stage, which involve returning back of the materials from
a demolished building to a new project site. By doing so, the life of the materials extracted from
the building can be extended. This process requires less raw material and energy, and generates
less pollution as compared to recycling. Figure 3.2 is showing the reverse logistics and forward
logistics.
32
FORWARD LOGISTICS
33
3.2 Research Methodology
The research method that is used for this thesis is case study research and interview analysis.
34
3.2.1 Case Study Analysis
With the help of case studies, the problem and complex issues will be explored. A case study
research is the best suitable method to use because of the following two reasons: it does not require
control of behavioral events and it focuses on contemporary events. Also explain further that CE
The adoption of the CE principles in construction projects is limited in the USA and the analysis
of the case studies can help to understand the benefits associated with the execution of the CE
capital projects. Moreover, companies can learn from rich case studies as well. The purpose of the
case study of the people’s pavilion is to clarify how a circular economy can force the construction
The researcher has selected the case study because people’s pavilion is a 100% circular building
where no building materials are lost in construction and decommissioning. This case study has
some limitations as well, it does not elaborate that how the suppliers or vendors were selected and
The reason for selecting the case study of the Thames tunnel London is the capital nature of the
project and the implementation of the CE principles. This project has also demonstrated how
Qualitative interview analysis will also be conducted in this project. This will help to collect the
data directly from the respondents. Also, explain that since CE is in its infancy in construction in
North America, interview study will help us to better understand the awareness of CE and the plan
of market leaders.
35
The researcher has performed qualitative interview analysis in this project. This will help to collect
the data directly from the respondents. CE is in its infancy in construction in North America,
interview study will help us to better understand the awareness of CE and the plan of market
leaders in North America. Interview Analysis was conducted and qualitative themes were
The researcher has selected thematic analysis because thematic analysis works with an extensive
series of qualitative data including media, transcripts, focus groups, and interviews. MAXQDA
software (qualitative data analysis software) was used to extract the relevant data from the
The population of the study includes the construction companies located and operated in America.
The researcher has used the convenience sampling method to conduct interview analysis. The
researcher interviewed the representative of two companies and transcripts were recorded to
perform an analysis. The researcher has asked the same questions from both companies. The list
of the questions is attached in the appendix. Company A was situated and operated in North
America, and Company B has headquarters in the UK and operated in UK or Europe mainly. The
researcher has selected the convenience sampling method because it allows the collection of data
The main reason behind not conducting survey, selecting few companies for interview analysis,
and conducting only two case studies is the limited availability of practitioners due to CE being a
new concept with few real world applications in the U.S. construction industry. Therefore,
interviews and case studies are the most appropriate research methods given the still-developing
36
adoption of CE at this stage. The other reasons includes limitation of time and presence of few
sector, therefore full understanding and generalizability of fancy CE in market will take some more
The following ethical principles are taken into account while conducting the research.
i. The researcher has obtained specific training from CITI to conduct interviews with
different companies.
ii. The researcher has avoided any kind of deceptive practices and biasness while conducting
the interview.
iii. The personal information including the names of the companies was not revealed in this
iv. The researcher has obtained permission from the respondents to use their information in
this research.
v. The respondents were completely ensured that the information obtained from them has
37
CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter describes and reviews the results of the qualitative analysis of the study including two
case studies and a thematic analysis of two companies named Company A and B. This chapter
focuses on presenting the results according to the research objectives and research questions of the
study.
4.1.1 Overview
In 1946, philosopher and engineer, Mr Ove Arup, founded a company intending to change how
the built environment was designed and constructed. In the following 75 years, Arup has become
synonymous with some of the world's most ambitious, creative and forward-thinking projects,
In 2020, Arup the World Green Building Council's (WGBC) Net Zero Carbon Building
Commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions for all assets under its control by 2030. Arup
has been a strategic partner of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, helping develop circular economy
thinking and practices worldwide. Table 4.1 below is showing the circular toolkit developed by
ARUP and Arthur foundation. The principles of the circular economy have been translated into a
prioritized set of strategies and actions relevant to real estate projects through the circular toolkit.
38
Table 4.1 Circular Toolkit by Arup and Ellan MacArthur
2 Increase building
1 Build Nothing utilisation
6 Refuse unnecessary
components
7 Increase material
Build for long-term use
effeciency
39
4.1.2 Circular Projects of Arup and Toolkit Strategies
Summaries for a few circular projects of Arup are given below. For further studies, (https://ce-
toolkit.dhub.Arup.com/case_studies)
Summary:
• The project of the recyclable house encourages construction sector to apply principles of
circular economy.
• It is made of recycled and recyclable components and can be put apart like a Lego kit and
• The project of the recycle house of London has demonstrated that Circular economy can
be achieved by using products with longevity, flexibility, potential to reuse and mainly
40
3. Design for Disassembly
Summary:
• Perfectly designed for disassembling and enhancing the efficiency of the material.
41
8. Reduce the use of virgin and non-renewable materials
Summary:
• The Quay Quarter Tower has reduced the usage of the virgin material by retaining 66%
of the existing building's columns, slabs and 95% of its interior wall as well.
• 50 % of the material used to reconstruct the Quay tower was used from the existing
• The new implemented design of the tower has helped to save tons of carbon emissions
42
1. Refuse unnecessary new construction
Summary:
• The implementation of the circular economy principles in the One Triton Square (ITS) of
London has helped to exclude an estimated 40,000 tons of CO2 over next 20 years.
• The team has achieved considerable construction cost savings, faster development route,
and marginal gains in terms of finance and environmental preservice by applying the
• By circularity measures almost 43% cost saving was captured as compare to typical new
commercial building.
43
4.2 The People Pavilion
4.2.1 Overview
The temporary People's Pavilion was a bold experiment in sustainability and reuse of materials,
forcing the construction industry to rethink a future inspired by the circular economy. The main
aim of this temporary building was to provide a solution for the scarcity of resources. The pavilion
is a 100% circular building with no material loss during construction and decommissioning with
100% borrowed material from suppliers or manufacturers. 100% borrowed means that all the
materials needed to construct the (250 square meters) building have been borrowed from
traditional suppliers and manufacturers and the residents of Eindhoven themselves. The Peoples
Pavilion by Arup highlights a new future for the circular building, with the bold design featuring
44
4.2.2 Motivating Factors behind the Adoption of Circular Economy in the People’s Pavilion
The introduction of circular economy approaches in a waste-intensive and high-growth sector such
as construction represents a tremendous opportunity for Arup to minimize structural waste and
thereby derive a greater value from circular construction projects. Materials, products, components
and processes are arranged in cycles by Arup to keep them at their highest possible intrinsic value.
Arup has worked with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as a knowledge partner since 2016,
promoting the application of circular economy principles. This powerful and insightful partnership
is focused on bringing about systemic, transformative change both in the built environment and
beyond. Both Arup and Ellan MacArthur foundation have identified that introduction of circular
economy principles could significantly increase the productivity of the global construction
Arup has adopted the following strategies behind the Adoption of Circular Economy principles in
Arup has adopted a design for disassembly strategy to prevent the use of materials that have
negative impacts on planetary boundaries. This strategy also aims to prevent the use of materials
in the construction of People’s Pavilions that have a negative impact on the health and well-being
of building inhabitants.
45
• Design for Longevity
This strategy of Arup focuses on maximizing the value of the building and its components over
time, optimizing value retention and value recovery potential. For example, all the borrowed
materials were returned to local suppliers after disassembling the pavilion, therefore that material
The design for the adaptability strategy of Arup aims to activate the adaptation potential during
the usage phase in people’s potential. It considers two design principles for adaptability: versatility
and convertibility, which in turn are related to the required degree of adaptability to system
changes. For example, diminish material waste at the construction site or production through off-
• 100 % of the material used in the construction of the People's Pavilion was borrowed from
• All borrowed materials used in the construction of the People's Pavilion were returned after
it was dismantled.
• Many items have been reused in other construction projects, upholding another important
circular economy principle to ensure materials are used at their value throughout the
46
Figure 4.5 100 % Borrowed Material of People’s Pavilion
4.2.6 Role of Engineers in a truly Circular System
of Technology. Engineers of Arup have used advanced engineering practices to enhance the
Engineers of Arup constructed 7-meter tall columns from concrete foundation piles using steel
rods reused from a demolished office building. Engineers have effectively and efficiently
connected composite timber beams, concrete columns and cross braces with heavy-duty ratchet
straps to create a safe and reasonably reliable structure that can withstand strong wind conditions.
47
Local suppliers, even the residents, manufacturers, and contractors were involved in the
application of the circular economy and the circular economy has provided benefits to all the
involved stakeholders.
• All the borrowed materials were returned to local suppliers after disassembling the
pavilion.
• All of the materials were returned to local manufacturers, suppliers and contractors
Economic impacts
The implementation of circular economy principles in the Dutch People's Pavilion offers:
▪ Profitable service offerings for the client as no virgin material was purchased
▪ 100 % of the material was borrowed; therefore, the cost of buying new material was
eliminated. The borrowing cost of the material was very economical as compared to the
▪ The public enjoyed improved services at lower economic and environmental costs.
Environmental Impacts
The pavilion is a practical example of a circular economy, a 100% circular building with no
building materials lost and no hazardous effects on the environment. With a near-zero carbon
48
4.2.8 Lesson Learned
In addition to environmental and financial benefits, both Arup’s circular projects discussed above
prove that circular design can be implemented in large capital projects. Dutch People's Pavilion
was considered the revolutionary use of the circular economy. Circular projects required creativity
and flexibility from everyone including manufacturers, customers, designers and builders. Circular
economy principles can help cities meet emission reduction and decarburization targets along with
London has been a pioneer in adopting circular construction, from the integration of a circular
economy approach in the London Environment Strategy to the policy requiring developers to
produce a CE Statement in the draft London Plan. In London, significant organizations are working
to adopt the circular economy in the construction and other sectors of London as well (Jackson,
2015). Circular capital projects are considered a new normal in the construction sector of London
Arup
CIRCULAR ORGANIZATIOONS
ELLAN MCARTHUR
OF LONDON
DELLOITTE
BAM
BITC
49
Table 4.2 is displaying the circular capital projects in action for London city.
4.3.2 Overview
The London Thames Tunnel is a 25km tunnel built under the river Thames and delivered by three
joint ventures including BMB for the West contract; FLO for the central contract; CVB for the
Eastern contract. London has developed drastically and the population of London continues to
grow. The Thames Tideway Tunnel was desperately required to protect the tidal river Thames
50
from pollution. This case study aims to understand how CE can be applied through innovative
design and positive collaboration between the project's contractors, to save significant costs and
carbon emissions as well. The Thames Tunnel was built to protect the ecology of the Thames
River for at least the next 100 years and to help Britain meet European environmental standards.
According to the management of BITC, adopting the unique way (CE) instead of adopting normal
techniques (linear) is not a piece of cake. Such a huge circular economy builds capital projects that
are quite rare in the world. Following Circular Principles were addressed in the adoption of circular
economy in Tunnel.
To achieve the project's goal of reducing the carbon footprint over the life of Tideway, the team is
continually looking for innovative solutions to avoid carbon by prioritizing low-carbon materials
The notion of circular economy (CE) identifies strategies to slow down resource consumption by
eliminating waste and improving resources in the construction of the Thames Tunnel.
tunnel.
• Positive or no negative impact on the planet due to the adoption of circular principles
51
4.3.5 Opportunities for applying for CE
• Numerous carbon saving opportunities were identified by CVB within the design of the
• The FLO team has also reviewed the central section’s existing design (main tunnel) and
The FLO team made a significant decision to reduce the thickness of the central section, which
resulted in the central section of the tunnel, a 16% saving on the volume of concrete, a 5% saving
The transformation of the eastern section from a flat structure to a dome-shaped structure has
consumed 1,500 m3 of concrete compared to 3,500 m3, resulting in a saving of 750 tons of carbon
emissions (CO2).
After completion, Thames Tideway Tunnel will help stop tens of millions of tons of sewage from
polluting the Thames every year. Through the additional social, environmental and economic
benefits this project of Thames will leave a legacy for now and future.
• Social Impact
Created Jobs for 4,000 people including apprenticeships and convicted persons as well.
Environmental Impact
The project has saved carbon emissions of 1379 tons by applying circular design principles in two
52
• Financial Impact
By applying circular economy principles to the design of the tunnel, 2,000 tons of material were
saved, which is almost 31% of the original design. The application of a circular economy results
in saving material costs and substantial labor costs of 2.7 million pounds.
This specific and huge Thames project has taught us that designers are the main initiators in
executing circular economy strategies in capital projects. The implementation of the circular
economy requires the collaboration of customers, engineers and manufacturers, but the role of
designers is very important, as they are the initiators in this whole process. This capital project of
construction has also demonstrated that by applying CE in construction projects financial, and
The researcher to analyze the interview data for exploring the CE and its impacts on capital project
construction conducted a qualitative thematic analysis. The researcher has conducted thematic
analysis because thematic analysis works with an extensive series of qualitative data including
media, transcripts, focus groups, and interviews. MAXQDA software (qualitative data analysis
software) was used to extract the relevant data from the transcripts provided by the interviewee.
To conduct the thematic analysis, the researcher must critically analyze the transcripts, identify
specific codes and develop themes in a structured way (Ollerenshaw & Creswell, 2002). The
researcher has proceeded with the thematic analysis in three phases, as shown in the figure below;
At this initial stage of analysis, the understandability, meaningfulness and appropriateness of the
53
Reading, Theme
Interpreting, Development Result
Coding of Text
and Providing (Code Presentation
Context to Text Grouping)
Figure 4.7 Phase 1: Reading, Interpreting, and Providing Context to Text Word Cloud
The researcher developed the word cloud using MAXQDA. To acquire a complete overview
of what the data entails word cloud was required. The diagram of the word cloud was a form
of short evaluation and developed to portray the most used words in the data. It provides a
quick overview of what the data entails before commencing the reading and coding of the data.
54
Findings
As the word cloud is depicted in the figure above, the most occurring words are in agreement with
the research keywords indicating that the transcript data specifically address the focus of the study.
The most repeated words in the word clouds are providing suggestions for the development of the
themes and identifications of the codes in the data files. Moreover, the word cloud is also reflecting
the presence of the research keywords words in the data. Therefore, the diagram of the word cloud
has provided a track for the researcher for conducting thematic analysis.
Each transcript of both interviews was carefully organized at this stage by using the qualitative
data analysis software MAXQDA to assign meanings to sentences in the form of code and themes.
This entire process was carried out with great care to ensure that important data was not lost during
the subject analysis. The coding file can be found in appendix B and C simultaneously.
In the third phase, the established codes were grouped into themes based on the relationships
between the codes, and the codes with the same properties were classified as one theme. Thematic
analysis was performed using MAXQDA, and the researcher has developed ten themes. The table
55
Table 4.3 Themes Development
Company A: The acceptance level of CE at this company is not high. This is indicated by the fact
that it does not use the term CE but sustainability. The company has stated that CE practices have
the potential to enhance the sustainability performance of organizations in general. The company’s
current focus is primarily limited to resource recovery or resource reuse, not a circular economy
as companies, suppliers, and clients are not willing to adapt CE due to high pricing. However, the
company says it can do much more by discussing CE opportunities with its clients, despite the
Company B: The adoption status of the CE at this company is quite high. This company connects
the industry with its clients by emphasizing case studies and raising awareness regarding the
56
existing capital projects. In addition, since 2016, Company B has been promoting the execution of
the CE principles in the construction sector as a knowledge partner with other foundations.
Company A is working with local people to create vendors and find available vendors. The
Company is trying to attain marginal gains through team collaboration that could be put together
in the terms of financial and environmental performance to attain higher sustainability. They are
clients and vendors at higher levels. Company B is working to demonstrate the big picture of how
the circular economy can help to attain financial return along with environmental gain through
Company A: Instead of providing ideas for executing CE in a project, the company has developed
software to track material data. The company has also developed a sustainability-screening tool,
which has about 70 sustainability actions in it for the project team’s optional use.
Company B: The Company has developed a circular toolkit that outlines strategies for
implementing a circular economy in various construction projects. This toolkit helped Company
to practice the circular economy in various construction projects including 1 Triton square of
London, the People’s Pavilion and many others. The Circular Toolkit allows stakeholders to adopt
different strategies and put the circular economy framework into action. For further studies, check
57
Theme 4: Internal or external motivating factors
Company A: For this Company, the motivating factor for adopting CE is mainly related to finance
and reuse of concrete. For example, the need to reuse concrete is especially significant when the
Company B: The Company revealed that the main motivations for adopting CE include financial
efficiency and waste reduction by adding value to waste through reuse or recycling. Company B
also said that it is necessary to reduce the waste of resources by considering dismantling and reuse
Company A: The Company states that it will adopt new concepts and ideas as it learns over time.
The Company also explained that the expected results after the execution of CE could be different
from project to project, as it depends upon the requirements of clients and resource availability.
The company has also recommended sustainability practices for project consideration, but not
mandatory adoption.
projects are dependent on individuals and organizations’ learning processes regarding the
application of the innovative solutions learned in the real world. Therefore, the company stated
that the expected results could be different in the case of different projects and the company
primarily focuses on achieving the results according to the strategies of their toolkit. The company
prefer to measure circularity in any project by checking the performance of the toolkit application
58
Theme 6: Preference for any alternative strategies to CE
Company A: The Company has not used CE at all, but they are planning to gradually adopt CE
over time. Rather than thinking of CE as a brand new strategy, the company may approach CE as
another idea. The company has clearly stated that detailed steps, software, extensive case studies,
Company B: Company has clearly explained that they do not prefer any other technique to CE for
now. However, they have used many frameworks in past including RESOLVE, LEEDS, Green
and sustainability frameworks in their different construction projects in the UK and Europe.
Company A: Team involvement is critical because it facilitates possible explanations to keep the
process running smoothly, as clients typically inquire about the additions or benefits of executing
CE. The Company has elaborated that all of the company's team members considered sustainability
a great idea, but according to the team, it is difficult to implement the CE principles in a real
project.
Company B: The Company has acquired clarity in their decisions by clearly providing knowledge
and displaying benefits associated with a circular economy. All the team members of the Company
have shown quite an encouraging attitude by discussing every single point through the detailed
sessions.
Company A: The Company has faced resistance in the implementation of CE from teams or clients
due to extra resources and business processes required for the enactment of the CE. The members
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in Company A argued regarding the need for adopting CE principles. Internal and external
members are also interested in knowing what something different they will achieve by
Company B: Due to the initial investment cost required for the implementation of CE principles,
the Company often experienced resistance from their clients. The Company has also stated that
clients are not completely aware of the benefits associated with the implementation of the CE. The
clients are most concerned about the paybacks that can be attained after applying the circular
strategies of the toolkits in different projects. Meanwhile, the company seldom face internal
resistance because the Company has many experts in the circular economy working for many
years.
Company A: To promote the application sustainability in their projects the Company has
appointed a new CEO in January 2021. The new CEO is playing a significant and dominant role
in restructuring the company’s conventional practices and bringing changes at a greater pace.
Company B: The Company has appointed a client advisor and business process consultant in 2019
to identify new identify prospects, convince clients, and put into practice CE principles. The client
advisors along with the engineers of the Company are working for executing the strategies of the
circular tool kit in various capital projects in the UK and other countries. The circular toolkit
developed by Company brings together strategies, and case studies to help professionals regarding
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Theme 10: Benefits from CE
Company A: The Company indicates that sustainability practices have the potential to provide
significant economic benefits by reusing materials such as concrete and environmental benefits
Company B: This Company has highlighted the environmental, social and economic benefits of
CE, depicted in past projects. The company has further indicated that designing buildings with
reconstruction in mind can be a huge driver towards reducing waste in the construction industry
company and has rebuilt 1 Triton Square in London using retained materials and saved 19,000 tons
of CO2 equivalent. Similarly, in the case of the people pavilion benefits were identified in the term
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Chapter 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The construction industry accounts for almost 40% of global CO2 emissions due to the linear
economy. Construction alone has a huge carbon footprint: from manufacturing materials like
concrete and steel to the transport of those materials, and the on-site electricity used when you
build. All of this is called embodied carbon and is responsible for about 11% of global emissions.
With so much of our cities already occupied by buildings, maybe the question we should be asking
is, "Do we need to build all that space?" This question led us to the “Circular Economy”. After
conducting the whole analysis we can conclude that moving away from a 'take, make, and dispose
of' consumption model, circular economy strategies can help on our journey towards a net zero
economy and financial gains as well. Buildings alone account for 37% of global greenhouse gas
emissions, with construction materials losing around 95% of their value during demolition. The
circular design framework enables you to futureproof your project. The principles of the circular
economy have been translated into a prioritized set of strategies and actions relevant to real estate
projects. Understanding the circular economy and its potential impact on the construction industry
were studied in this research through a case study and an interview analysis of two companies.
Numerous past studies indicate that the construction industry in general is hesitant in adopting new
concepts and technologies. Although different companies have adopted bunch of strategies
including sustainability. Different entities think that they have adopted CE but in real, they are
working on sustainability on large scale. CE has no exception, largely due to the risk and
uncertainty in costs and benefits of adopting them. However, there have been some steps in
implementing strategies that are related to CE as more entities are placing a focus on reporting
ESG efforts against the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) (United
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Major conclusions of the case study analysis can be summarized as follows:
• Arup and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation have released a practical toolkit designed to
enable a circular economy for buildings. The circular toolkit allows stakeholders to
adopt different strategies and implement the framework of circular economy in action.
• People's Pavilion was a bold experiment in sustainability and reuse of materials, forcing
the construction industry to rethink a future inspired by the circular economy. The
• According to a new report from global circular economy experts Circle Economy, the
world economy is only 8.6% circular. Case studies, client awareness, proper education,
policymaking can help all stakeholders understand the key benefits associated with
circular economy in the construction of the people’s pavilion, Arup has achieved
• According to the report published by the London Waste and recycling board, LWARB
London city has a clear opportunity for embedding circular economy principles in the city
Policy. The construction sector in London consumes 60% of UK waste to landfills and
contributes around 40% of the UK's total carbon footprint; we urgently need to rethink the
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• With recycled material, innovative design and positive collaboration between the project's
contractors, significant cost and carbon savings have been achieved on this massive project
Thames tunnel. Thames circular tunnel project demonstrates that applying circular design
can add both financial benefits and environmental prosperity to an infrastructure project by
applying circular economy principles to design. The Thames Tideway Tunnel is the UK's
largest water sector project to date and will protect the Thames for at least the next hundred
years.
The results of the thematic analysis concluded that CE restricts the consumption of virgin
resources, promotes the efficient utilization of resources and fosters cleaner production. Cities are
growing, which means we keep on building. We all need space to live, but building buildings is
terrible for the planet. Major conclusions of the thematic analysis can be summarized as follows:
• Adoption Status of CE
The adoption status of the circular economy in company A (situated and operated in the USA)
is not high, as they are not using the term circular economy. In the case of Company B,
headquarters in the U.K. but operates in the U.S has a higher CE adoption level evidenced by
the accelerated development process by challenging standard approaches and maximizing existing
materials and components reused to demonstrate the commercial value of a circular economy
approach.
• Overall Strategy
Company A is working with local people to create vendors. Working to attain sustainability through
team collaboration in the terms of financial and environmental performance. Company B is working
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to convince clients and demonstrate the big picture of how the circular economy can help to attain
financial return along with environmental gain through successful refurbishment instead of
• Toolkit or Software
Company A has developed a sustainability-screening tool and software rather than a toolkit.
Company B has released a practical toolkit, designed to enable a circular economy for the
adopt different strategies and implement the framework of circular economy in action.
• Motivating Factors
Company A has identified the re-use of the concrete and financial factors as the motivating factor
behind the adoption of the circular economy. According to Company B, the motivating factors
behind the adoption of a Circular economy are economic efficiency and reduction of wastage by
• Expected Results
According to Company A, the expected results could be different from project to project, as it all
depends upon the requirement of clients and the availability of resources. Similarly, according to
Company B, the expected results could be different in the case of different projects. In the terms
of expected results, this Company usually focuses on achieving the results based on the strategies
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• Preference for other strategies
Corporation A has not used CE at all and considering a bunch of strategies or ideas for a long.
Company B does not prefer other strategies on CE but they have used many other frameworks in
past including RESOLVE, LEEDS, and green and sustainability frameworks in different
construction projects.
Company A has elaborated that all of the company's team members considered sustainability a
great idea, but according to the team, it is difficult to implement the CE principles in a real project.
The team members of Company B have shown quite an encouraging attitude by discussing every
Company A has faced resistance in putting into practice the principles of CE from teams or clients.
Company B does not face internal conflicts but they have to cope with clashes from clients due to
pricing issues.
Company A has appointed a new CEO in January 2021, who is restructuring the company and
making many changes to enhance the status of sustainability. Company B hired a senior business
process consultant and client advisor in 2019 to identify opportunities and convince clients
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• Benefits of CE
Both Companies have considered the benefits of CE in the terms of the economic, social and
environmental benefits. Both of them have stated that case studies, client awareness, proper
education, collaboration among designers, manufacturers, suppliers and government policymaking can
help all stakeholders to understand the key benefits associated with implementing the principles of
After conducting the interview analysis and case studies analysis, we can conclude that in Europe
the government and other legislative bodies are playing significant role to create awareness
regarding the implementation of the CE in the construction sector. The construction sector of the
Europe has clearly demonstrated that how the conversion of linear economy into circular economy
can help to attain the re-use of natural resources profitably along with environmental benefits. The
transformation of circular business models in Europe has clearly revealed interest from
researchers, government bodies and practitioners regarding the implementation of the CE in the
construction sector of Europe (Deloitte UK, 2021). Different organizations are working in Europe
particularly to implement the CE in construction sector (Deloitte UK, 2021) (Arup, Mcarthur,
2022) (EEA Report, 2017). Deloitte has identified seven different types of circular
economy business models; similarly, ARUP has identified several case studies. The countries like
USA can make the use of the idea of circular economy to foster sustainability and save natural
resources of this planet. The government of the USA and United States Environmental Protection
Agency (US EPA) should introduce guidelines and procedures for implementing the CE in the
construction sector. There is a need to develop new legislative bodies similar to Europe in the USA
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5.2 Limitations of the Study
A supreme effort has been made by the researcher to ensure that the best results are presented in
this study. The researcher has identified the following limitations in this particular study due to
i. The first limitation of this study is the small sample size because the sample size of two
companies for thematic analysis was not enough to cover the perception of the USA.
ii. The second limitation of this study includes the shortage of time, due to which the
researcher was not able to gather data through the proposed questionnaire and interview
more companies to capture the big picture regarding the execution of the CE principles
iii. The third major limitation is the availability of data regarding the CE, which created
the biggest challenge to this research. Despite facing this challenge, the most
Future researchers can work on this project by considering the following points:
• Conduct more interviews with companies who are practically executing the principles of
the circular economy in their capital projects to capture the big picture.
also attached in appendix D; due to the limitation of time, this research was not able to
implement the survey. The potential researcher can work on it and conduct quantitative
analysis based on the Likert scale to acquire relevant answers to research questions.
68
• Potential researchers can also consider case studies, particularly from the USA to analyze
the implementation and execution of the circular economy in the construction projects of
the USA.
• The future researchers will have opportunities to research on understanding the perspective
of the clients specifically concerning the adoption of the circular economy in capital
projects.
This study significantly contributes to the existing body of knowledge regarding CE. This study
will give an understanding to potential researchers regarding how the CE is exerting an impact on
construction projects. It will help the academic world in exploring different aspects of CE and
This study will make a significant contribution to the theory development, and policy development
regarding the execution of the CE in capital projects. Moreover, this study has also identified why
construction companies should make efforts to execute CE and the benefits associated with the
implementation of CE. This study has also recognized the possible barriers faced by the
organization in implementing the CE. This research provides information that how CE is necessary
for construction projects. This study will be helpful for countries like America as it provides them
with the route to initiate CE in the construction sector to control the scarcity of resources.
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: Interview Questions
1. What is the adoption status of Circular Economy (CE) at your company?
2. What is your organization’s overall strategy in adopting CE?
3. What are the internal or external motivating factors for adopting this CE strategy?
4. What results were you looking for from implementing this strategy?
5. Did you consider any alternative strategies to CE to achieve your sustainability goals? What
were the important aspects you considered when deciding on a specific strategy to adopt?
6. Please elaborate on your experiences adopting and implementing the strategy(s).
7. How did people in your organization respond to and adapt to the implementing the strategy(s)?
8. What benefits have you realized since implementing the strategy(s)? Please indicate benefits
in terms of environmental, social, and economic.
9. Have your organization made any change to the business process/practice to facilitate the
implementation of CE?
10. Do you have any lessons learned you would like to share with others that may be considering
implementing this strategy(s)?
11. How is your organization measures progress and outcome of CE implementation?
12. Is there anything else you would like to add?
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APPENDIX B: Code System of Flour
74
20. Long way away from sustainability as Circular economy 1
What are the internal or external motivating factors 1
21. Several one would be financial. 1
22. You need to reuse concrete because you can't get a lot of 1
23. there are a lot of motivations to use it and it really has to b 1
Have you adopted readymade tool or developed your own toolkit? 1
24. Yeah, we have. In addition, I would not say toolkit. We have a 1
software
25. We also have a screening tool, sustainability screening tool 1
26. CII Tool created in 2010 1
27. help identify sustainability actions and they range from enviro 1
28. each sustainability action addresses environmental social gover 1
29. Re-usage 1
What is your overall strategy? What steps have you prepared to follow? 1
29. The steps have been very much. 1
30. So recycle. 1
31. identifying opportunities, looking at barriers, looking at v 1
32. trying to encourage projects 1
33. Help the communities 1
34. working with a local people to create such a vendor, 1
35. Difficult to get things to market specially in Urban areas 1
36. look for barriers, look for opportunities and look for partners 1
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APPENDIX C: Code System of Arup
76
18. Refurnishing or reusing instead of demolishing. 1
Have you adopted readymade tool or developed your own toolkit? 1
19. developed their own circular toolkits 1
20. circular toolkit allows stakeholders to adopt different strategies 1
What is your overall strategy? What steps have you prepared to follow? 1
21. learn to innovate and apply 1
22. turning ambition into actions 1
23. pioneer in adopting circular construction 1
Adoption Status of Circular economy at Arup 1
24. It is high at Arup 1
25. bringing together the industry and clients by highlighting case 1
studies
26. Knowledge partner 1
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78
APPENDIX D: Proposed Questionnaire for Future Researchers
ACADEMIC SURVEY
2. Representation of Respondents?
• Clients
• Designer
• Manufacturer
• Contractor
• Other
• USA
• Other
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• Lack of Knowledge
• Others
6. To educate clients, designers, contractors, manufacturers it is necessary to conduct:
• Seminars and Workshops by Companies
• Campaign on broad-scale by Government
• Seminar’s in University’s (HEC)
• Other
7. In my opinion, construction waste is more harmful to:
• Financially
• Environmentally
• Socially
• Other
8. Which entity should play a leading role in promoting the awareness efforts?
• Government
• Higher education Commission
• Companies
• Other
9. In my opinion, a circular economy will help to reduce construction waste:
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
10. There is a need to enhance awareness regarding the difference between Lean, green
building, or leads and circular economy.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
QUESTIONS REGARDING IMPLEMENTATION
11. Which is the most Significant enabler in implementing the Circular Economy in the capital
project:
• Financial incentives
• Assurance Scheme
• Viable Take back Schemes
• Enabling technologies
• Other
12. All stakeholders lack the proper knowledge regarding the benefits associated with
circular economy and seeing big pictures.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
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• Agree
• Neutral
13. In my opinion following is the best approach to implement the Circular Economy in the
USA particularly:
• Synergy among the client, designer, contractor, and manufacturer
• Training of the Staff/Employees
• Other
14. Identify the most Significant Challenge in implementing the Circular Economy in the
capital project:
• Unclear Financial Case
• Lack of Incentives
• Lack of Consideration for end of life issues
• Other
15. In the USA, designers consider minimal maintenance or easy repairs concepts while
making designs for capital projects.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
16. In the USA, designers focus on the design for reuse, while making designs for capital
projects to implement a Circular economy.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
17. Suppliers prefer secondary materials, less hazardous material and take back schemes in
USA to implement Circular economy.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
18. Contractors Prefer to minimize waste by using procure recycled materials and Offsite
construction in USA to implement the Circular economy in their projects.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
19. I prefer to apply design in projects that enable decommissioning of assets to support a
circular economy.
• Strongly Agree
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• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
20. I prefer to apply the following Circular economy approaches to the design process.
• Design for deconstruction,
• Design for reparability
• Design for adaptability
• Others
21. I always advise clients regarding the benefits of applying a Circular economy as
compared to lean approaches in Construction.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
22. I prefer to enable operating and maintaining the facility of capital projects in a circular
way.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
23. I prefer to make structures that will be move and use in different locations.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
24. I prefer to minimize onsite waste through modular construction
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
25. I prefer to do pre-demolition audit in capital projects.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
26. I genuinely prefer to eliminate waste and maximize reuse during construction on site.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
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27. I prefer procurement of materials from suppliers who offer:
• Take back schemes
• No Take back schemes
• Others
Objective 2
28. As a client, designer, manufacturer, and contractor I mostly prefer following strategies in
capital projects due to better know how or other reason.
• Leads
• Green buildings
• Lean strategy
• Circular economy
• Others
29. In my opinion, various existing design and construction strategies and circular
construction are similar.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
30. Various strategies such as Leads, green buildings, and lean strategies are cost-effective as
compared to the circular economy.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
31. To attain long-term benefits, circular construction is better than various strategies such as,
Leads, green buildings and lean strategies.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
(ECONOMIC/FINANCIAL)
32. In my opinion, the implementation of a circular economy will help in the reduction of
costs in construction project.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
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33. Circular economy will help the clients in achieving the long-term financial benefits.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
(Environment)
34. Some key strategies such as Lean, Leads, and Sustainability provide a benefit to cost,
quality, yet have a greater negative environmental impact.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
35. The implementation of Circular economy in Capital projects will help in the reduction of
CO2 emissions.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
36. The circular economy can help to ensure that circular capital project are suitable for
making positive environmental changes.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
(Social)
37. Circular projects can gain a huge amount of goodwill by prioritizing social responsibility.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
(BARRIERS)
38. Despite of the long-term benefits circular economy is facing problems in
implementation.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
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39. Identify the most significant barrier to implementing the circular economy in the
construction sector.
• Lack of understanding of big picture
• Lack of obligatory legislation
• Competitive Situation
• Difficulty in getting high payment from clients
• Other
40. In my opinion, it is genuinely required to conduct future research for the betterment of
circular economy in Construction projects.
• Strongly Agree
• Strongly Disagree
• Agree
• Neutral
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