Mapping of Circular Construction Ecosystems’ Characteristics: Interconnections, Relationships, and Synchronization of Stakeholders at the Micro, Meso, and Macro Scales - 2025
Mapping of Circular Construction Ecosystems’ Characteristics: Interconnections, Relationships, and Synchronization of Stakeholders at the Micro, Meso, and Macro Scales
circular construction; collaborations; ecosystems; relationships; synchronization; Computer Science (miscellaneous); Geography, Planning and Development; Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment; Environmental Science (miscellaneous); Energy Engineering and Power Technology; Hardware and Architecture; Computer Networks and Communications; Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Abstract :
[en] The application of circular strategies in the architecture, engineering, construction, and operations (AECO) sector has been extensively researched, demonstrating the significance of technical approaches. However, research also focuses on the organizational challenges that arise within circular networks. Recent studies emphasize the importance of collective action in fostering cooperation across the value chain to achieve circular economy (CE) goals. Nevertheless, a considerable amount of research, including EU policies, tends to concentrate on “end-of-pipe” solutions, while failing to adequately address the socio-ecological challenges inherent in the transition to a CE. This study aims to explore collective activities and work in circular construction ecosystems at the macro, meso, and micro scales, identifying their interconnections. The findings of the literature review indicate that a successful transition to a CE requires a deeper commitment from stakeholders, which is influenced by the structure and relationships within the ecosystem. The increasing complexity of these ecosystems necessitates a redefinition of stakeholder roles and competencies, emphasizing a collective perception of value. Given the lack of tools and research on collaboration, we propose developing a map of circular construction ecosystems to improve the visualization and understanding of their dynamics.
Disciplines :
Architecture
Author, co-author :
Dautremont, Charlotte ; Université du Québec > ETS > GRIDD ; Department of Construction Engineering, École de Technologie Supérieure, University of Quebec, Montreal, Canada
Gobbo, Emilie ; Louvain Research Institute for Landscape, Architecture, Built Environment, Université Catholique de Louvain, Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Language :
English
Title :
Mapping of Circular Construction Ecosystems’ Characteristics: Interconnections, Relationships, and Synchronization of Stakeholders at the Micro, Meso, and Macro Scales
Publication date :
2025
Journal title :
Sustainability
ISSN :
2071-1050
eISSN :
2071-1050
Publisher :
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Volume :
17
Issue :
2
Pages :
541
Peer reviewed :
Peer reviewed
Development Goals :
11. Sustainable cities and communities 9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure 12. Responsible consumption and production 17. Partnerships for the goals
European Commission A New Circular Economy Action Plan For a Cleaner and More Competitive Europe European Commission Brussels, Belgium 2020 10.7312/columbia/9780231167352.003.0015
Thung I. Schouten N. Dekker G. Salm J.P. Towards a Circular Economy in the Built Environment Overcoming Market, Finance and Ownership Challenges Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2023 Available online: https://www.circularbuildingscoalition.org/resources (accessed on 30 August 2024)
Kirchherr J. Reike D. Hekkert M. Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 2017 127 221 232 10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.09.005
European Commission A Renovation Wave for Europe European Commission Brussels, Belgium 2020
International Energy Agency 2018 Global Status Report. Towards a Zero-Emission, Efficient and Resilient Buildings and Construction Sector International Energy Agency Paris, France 2018
Kujala J. Heikkinen A. Blomberg A. Stakeholder Engagement in a Sustainable Circular Economy: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives Palgrave Macmillan Cham, Switzerland 2023 10.1007/978-3-031-31937-2
Circle Economy Foundation The Circularity Gap Report 2024. A Circular Economy to Live Within the Safe Limits of the Planet Circle Economy Foundation Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2024
Ossio F. Salinas C. Hernández H. Circular economy in the built environment: A systematic literature review and definition of the circular construction concept J. Clean. Prod. 2023 414 137738 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137738
European Parliament Council of the European Union DIRECTIVE 2008/98/EC on Waste and Repealing Certain Directives European Union Brussels, Belgium 2008
Incelli F. Cardellicchio L. Rossetti M. Circularity Indicators as a Design Tool for Design and Construction Strategies in Architecture Buildings 2023 13 1706 10.3390/buildings13071706
Sigrid Nordby A. Barriers and opportunities to reuse of building materials in the Norwegian construction sector IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Proceedings of the SBE19 Brussels-BAMB-CIRCPATH “Buildings as Material Banks—A Pathway for a Circular Future”, Brussels, Belgium, 5–7 February 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd. Bristol, UK 2019 Volume 225 10.1088/1755-1315/225/1/012061
Rahla K.M. Bragança L. Mateus R. Obstacles and barriers for measuring building’s circularity IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Proceedings of the SBE19 Brussels-BAMB-CIRCPATH “Buildings as Material Banks—A Pathway for a Circular Future”, Brussels, Belgium, 5–7 February 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd. Bristol, UK 2019 Volume 225 10.1088/1755-1315/225/1/012058
Futas N. Rajput K. Schiano-Phan R. Cradle to Cradle and Whole-Life Carbon assessment—Barriers and opportunities towards a circular economic building sector IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Proceedings of the SBE19 Brussels-BAMB-CIRCPATH “Buildings as Material Banks—A Pathway for a Circular Future”, Brussels, Belgium, 5–7 February 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd. Bristol, UK 2019 Volume 225 10.1088/1755-1315/225/1/012036
Morseletto P. Targets for a circular economy Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 2020 153 104553 10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.104553
Charef R. Ganjian E. Emmitt S. Socio-economic and environmental barriers for a holistic asset lifecycle approach to achieve circular economy: A pattern-matching method Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change 2021 170 120798 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120798
Charef R. Morel J.C. Rakhshan K. Barriers to implementing the circular economy in the construction industry: A critical review Sustainability 2021 13 12989 10.3390/su132312989
Knoth K. Fufa S.M. Seilskjær E. Barriers, success factors, and perspectives for the reuse of construction products in Norway J. Clean. Prod. 2022 337 130494 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130494
Baldassarre B. Calabretta G. Why Circular Business Models Fail and What to Do About It: A Preliminary Framework and Lessons Learned from a Case in the European Union Circ. Econ. Sustain. 2023 4 123 148 10.1007/s43615-023-00279-w
Wuni I.Y. Mapping the barriers to circular economy adoption in the construction industry: A systematic review, Pareto analysis, and mitigation strategy map Build. Environ. 2022 223 109453 10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109453
Ellen MacArthur Foundation Circular Economy Glossary Ellen MacArthur Foundation Wight, UK 2021 1 5 Available online: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/glossary (accessed on 31 May 2024)
Dautremont C. Ecoconception Multidisciplinaire et Collaborative en Architecture: Interface Pour Visualiser les Interconnexions des Pratiques Écoconceptuelles, Depuis la Programmation Jusqu’à la Réalisation du Projet Ph.D. Thesis Université de Liège Liège, Belgium 2023
Hochscheid E. Diffusion, Adoption et Implémentation du BIM dans les Agences D’architecture en France Ph.D. Thesis Université de Lorraine Nancy, France 2021
Potting J. Hekkert M.P. Worrell E. Circular Economy: Measuring Innovation Product Chain PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency The Hague, The Netherlands 2017
Meirelles J. Ribeiro F.L. Cury G. Binder C.R. Netto V.M. More from less? Environmental rebound effects of city size Sustainability 2021 13 4028 10.3390/su13074028
Bertassini A.C. Zanon L.G. Azarias J.G. Gerolamo M.C. Ometto A.R. Circular Business Ecosystem Innovation: A guide for mapping stakeholders, capturing values, and finding new opportunities Sustain. Prod. Consum. 2021 27 436 448 10.1016/j.spc.2020.12.004
European Parliament DIRECTIVE (EU) 2018/851 Amending DIRECTIVE 2008/98/EC on Waste European Union Brussels, Belgium 2018
Naval S. Product or Waste? Criteria for Reuse Rotor for Interreg NWE Facilitating the Circulation of Reclaimed Building Elements (FCRBE) Brussels, Belgium 2021
European Commission Waste Framework Directive European Commission Brussels, Belgium
European Parliament European Council Directive 2008/98/EC. European Union 2008 Available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32008L0098 (accessed on 20 August 2024)
Hamarat Y. L’esthétique, levier d’action pour l’engagement écologique: L’ethnographie d’un atelier de vélo communautaire Sci. Des. 2019 9 38 49 10.3917/sdd.009.0038
Lefebvre P. Entre durabilité intrinsèque et extrinsèque des matériaux: Quels mondes au bout de nos choix? Journée D’études: L’architecture Durable S’use-T-Elle? Tournai 2024 1 10 in press
Boniver T. Devlieger L. Gielen M. Ghyoot M. Lasserre B. Tamm M. d’Hoop A. Zitouni B. Usus/Usures. How Things Stand Éditions Communauté Française Wallonie-Bruxelles Brussels, Belgium 2010
Vikstedt E. Rajala T. Alignment Through Value Consolidation Mechanisms—Focusing on Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration for Circular Economy Stakeholder Engagement in a Sustainable Circular Economy: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives Springer International Publishing Cham, Switzerland 2019 10.1007/978-3-031-31937-2_9
Brand S. How Buildings Learn, What Happens After They’re Built Penguin Books New York, NY, USA 1994 1 243
Gobbo E. Déchets de Construction, Matières à Conception. Analyse des Stocks et Flux de Matières dans le Cadre des Opérations de Rénovation Énergétique en Région de Bruxelles-Capitale Ph.D. Thesis Université Catholique de Louvain UCL Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium 2015
Chaussebel C. Doutreleau M. Gheerts G. Ghyoot M. Gobbo E. Macé E. Nia E.M. Meesters V. Mouchet M. Nasseredine M. et al. Ex-Post Analysis of 32 Construction and Renovation Works Results and Discussions FCRBE Brussels, Belgium 2023 Available online: https://opalis.eu/sites/default/files/2023-10/dt4_2_2_methodology-discussion-results_en_20230928.pdf (accessed on 30 August 2024)
Gobbo E. Ghyoot M. Paduart A. Nasseredine M. Reuse in Environmental Impact Assessment Tools: A Prospective Report Interreg NEW Facilitating the Circulation of Reclaimed Building Elements (FCRBE) Brussels, Belgium 2021 Available online: https://vb.nweurope.eu/media/15802/reuse_in_environmental_impact_assessment_tools_2021.pdf (accessed on 5 January 2022)
Douguet E. Wagner F. Les Impacts Environnementaux du Réemploi dans le Secteur de la Construction FCRBE Brussels, Belgium 2021 Available online: https://vb.nweurope.eu/media/15808/bookletfcrbefr-1_impact_environnemental.pdf (accessed on 27 October 2021)
Etienne D. Lisa W. Laetitia D. Evaluating “reuse” in the current LCA framework-Impact of reuse and reusability in different life cycle stages IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Proceedings of the sbe22 Berlin D-A-CH Conference: Built Environment within Planetary Boundaries (SBE Berlin), Berlin, Germany, 20–23 September 2022 IOP Publishing Ltd. Bristol, UK 2022 Volume 1078 10.1088/1755-1315/1078/1/012015
Gobbo E. Maghsoudi Nia E. Straub A. Stephan A. Exploring the Effective Reuse Rate of Reused Materials and Elements in the Construction Sector J. Build. Environ. 2024 2024 111344 10.1016/j.jobe.2024.111344
Androsevic R. Durmisevic E. Brocato M. Measuring reuse potential and waste creation of wooden faades IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Proceedings of the SBE19 Brussels-BAMB-CIRCPATH “Buildings as Material Banks—A Pathway for a Circular Future”, Brussels, Belgium, 5–7 February 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd. Bristol, UK 2019 Volume 225 10.1088/1755-1315/225/1/012017
BAMB2020 Building as Material Banks: A Vision 2016: Change in Collaboration Across All Actors Available online: https://www.bamb2020.eu/topics/blueprint/vision/collaboration (accessed on 21 August 2019)
Re B. Magnani G. Stakeholder Engagement Mechanisms and Value Creation in Circular Entrepreneurship Stakeholder Engagement on a Sustainable Circular Economy: Theoritical and Practical Perspective Springer International Publishing Cham, Switzerland 2023
Blomberg A. Kujala J. Heikkinen A. Multi-stakeholder networks in a circular economy transition: A typology of stakeholder relationships Stakeholder Engagement in a Sustainable Circular Economy: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives Springer International Publishing Cham, Switzerland 2023 133 164 10.1007/978-3-031-31937-2_5
Kujanpää L. Pihkola H. Developing a participatory approach to support decision-making in waste management Stakeholder Engagement in a Sustainable Circular Economy: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives Springer International Publishing Cham, Switzerland 2023 165 191 10.1007/978-3-031-31937-2_6
Poirier E.A. Investigating the Impact of Building Information Modeling on Collaboration in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations Industry Ph.D. Thesis École De Technologie Supérieure, Université Du Québec Montréal, QC, Canada 2015
Calixte X. Les Outils dans l’Activité Collective Médiatisée en Conception: Traçabilité des Usages au sein du Processus de Conception Architecturale Ph.D. Thesis Université de Liège Liège, Belgium 2021
Albareda L. Kimpimäki J.P. How did it come to be? Circular economy as collective stakeholder action Stakeholder Engagement in a Sustainable Circular Economy: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives Springer International Publishing Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany 2023 19 55 10.1007/978-3-031-31937-2_2
Charef R. Alaka H. Emmitt S. Beyond the third dimension of BIM: A systematic review of literature and assessment of professional views J. Build. Eng. 2018 19 242 257 10.1016/j.jobe.2018.04.028
Franco M.A. Circular economy at the micro level: A dynamic view of incumbents’ struggles and challenges in the textile industry J. Clean. Prod. 2017 168 833 845 10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.09.056
D’Itria E. Colombi C. Fostering Fashion Ecosystems: A Quadruple Helix-Based Model for European Sustainable Innovation Systems 2023 11 478 10.3390/systems11090478
Giglio F. Sansotta S. Design for Emergency: Inclusive Housing Solution Urban Book Series Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH Berlin/Heilderberg, Germany 2023 Volume Part F813 907 919 10.1007/978-3-031-29515-7_81
Al-Raqeb H. Ghaffar S.H. Haitherali H. Gopakumar A. Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Building Information Modelling in Kuwait’s Ministry of Public Works: A Framework for Sustainable Construction Buildings 2024 14 130 10.3390/buildings14010130
Olawumi M.A. Oladapo B.I. Ikumapayi O.M. Akinyoola J.O. Waste to wonder to explore possibilities with recycled materials in 3D printing Sci. Total Environ. 2023 905 167109 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167109 37717760
Fragapane G. Schulte K.O. Eleftheriadis R. Reke E. Ringen G. A cross-disciplinary, cross-organizational approach to sustainable design and product innovation in the aluminum industry Procedia CIRP 2022 107 59 64 10.1016/j.procir.2022.04.010
Geboes E. Galle W. De Temmerman N. Make or break the loop: A cross-practitioners review of glass circularity Glass Struct. Eng. 2022 8 193 210 10.1007/s40940-022-00211-y
Wuni I.Y. Shen G.Q. Developing critical success factors for integrating circular economy into modular construction projects in Hong Kong Sustain. Prod. Consum. 2022 29 574 587 10.1016/j.spc.2021.11.010
Çimen Ö. Development of a Circular Building Lifecycle Framework: Inception to Circulation Results Eng. 2023 17 100861 10.1016/j.rineng.2022.100861
Davari S. Jaberi M. Yousfi A. Poirier E. A Traceability Framework to Enable Circularity in the Built Environment Sustainability 2023 15 8278 10.3390/su15108278
Yu Y. Yazan D.M. van den Berg M. Firdausy D.R. Junjan V. Iacob M.E. Circularity information platform for the built environment Autom. Constr. 2023 152 104933 10.1016/j.autcon.2023.104933
Harala L. Alkki L. Aarikka-Stenroos L. Al-Najjar A. Malmqvist T. Industrial ecosystem renewal towards circularity to achieve the benefits of reuse-Learning from circular construction J. Clean. Prod. 2023 389 135885 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.135885
Cambier C. Poppe J. Galle W. Elsen S. De Temmerman N. The Circular Retrofit Lab: A multi-disciplinary development of a building envelope according to circular design qualities IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Proceedings of the Crossing Boundaries 2021, Virtual, 24–25 March 2021 IOP Publishing Ltd. Bristol, UK 2021 Volume 855 10.1088/1755-1315/855/1/012013
Dokter G. Thuvander L. Rahe U. How circular is current design practice? Investigating perspectives across industrial design and architecture in the transition towards a circular economy Sustain. Prod. Consum. 2021 26 692 708 10.1016/j.spc.2020.12.032
Pilipenets O. Kin Peng Hui F. Gunawardena T. Mendis P. Aye L. New circularity indicator for decision making in the stockpile management of construction and demolition waste: Perspectives of Australian practitioners J. Environ. Manag. 2024 363 121345 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121345 38852409
Zabek M. Wirth M. Hildebrand L. Evaluating Regional Strategies towards a Circular Economy in the Built Environment IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Proceedings of the 247th ECS Meeting, Montréal, QC, Canada, 18–22 May 2025 IOP Publishing Ltd. Bristol, UK 2020 Volume 588 10.1088/1755-1315/588/3/032058
Kaipainen J. Uusikartano J. Aarikka-Stenroos L. Harala L. Alakerttula J. Pohls E.L. How to engage stakeholders in circular economy ecosystems: The process Stakeholder Engagement in a Sustainable Circular Economy: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives Springer International Publishing Cham, Switzerland 2023 193 231 10.1007/978-3-031-31937-2_7
Hubmann G. van Maaren V. Circular Material Systems: Anticipating whole-system design in architecture and construction IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Proceedings of the sbe22 Berlin D-A-CH conference: Built Environment within Planetary Boundaries (SBE Berlin), Berlin, Germany, 20–23 September 2022 IOP Publishing Ltd. Bristol, UK 2022 Volume 1078 10.1088/1755-1315/1078/1/012002
De Meulder B. Marin J. Shannon K. Evolving Relations of Landscape, Infrastructure and Urbanization Toward Circularity: Flanders and Vietnam Regenerative Territories: Dimensions of Circularity for Healthy Metabolisms Springer International Publishing Cham, Switzerland 2022 Volume 128 107 121 10.1007/978-3-030-78536-9_6
Senaratne S. Abhishek K.C. Perera S. Almeida L. Promoting stakeholder collaboration in adopting circular economy principles for sustainable construction World Construction Symposium, Proceedings of the 9th World Construction Symposium, Virtual, 9–10 July 2021 Ceylon Institute of Builders Colombo, Sri Lanka 2021 471 482 10.31705/WCS.2021.41
Banihashemi S. Meskin S. Sheikhkhoshkar M. Mohandes S.R. Hajirasouli A. LeNguyen K. Circular economy in construction: The digital transformation perspective Clean. Eng. Technol. 2024 18 100715 10.1016/j.clet.2023.100715
Trubina N. Leindecker G. Askar R. Karanafti A. Gómez-Gil M. Blázquez T. Güngör B. Bragança L. Digital Technologies and Material Passports for Circularity in Buildings: An In-Depth Analysis of Current Practices and Emerging Trends Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering Proceedings of the 4th International Conference “Coordinating Engineering for Sustainability and Resilience” & Midterm Conference of CircularB “Implementation of Circular Economy in the Built Environment” Timișoara, Romania 29–31 May 2024 Volume 489 690 699 10.1007/978-3-031-57800-7_64
Kaya F.E. Monsù Scolaro A. Circularity as a Climate Change Mitigation Strategy in the Building Sector: The Stakeholder’s Involvement in the Interconnected Life Cycle Phases Sustainability 2023 15 7554 10.3390/su15097554
Honic M. Kovacic I. Sibenik G. Rechberger H. Data- and stakeholder management framework for the implementation of BIM-based Material Passports J. Build. Eng. 2019 23 341 350 10.1016/j.jobe.2019.01.017
Claeys D. Architecture & Complexité: Un Modèle Systémique du Processus de (co)Conception Qui Vise L’architecture Université Catholique de Louvain Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium 2013
Pietrulla F. Circular ecosystems: A review Clean. Circ. Bioecon. 2022 3 100031 10.1016/j.clcb.2022.100031
Schalk P. Burke A. Lorenz R. Exploring Complexity: An Extended Study of Formal Properties for Process Model Complexity Measures arXiv 2024 2408.09871
Havinga F. Mahdad M. Dolfsma W. Unpacking ecosystem dynamics in the construction industry: The transition toward circular construction ecosystems J. Clean. Prod. 2023 414 137455 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137455
Catros A. Une catégorisation des maquettes BIM au sein des modèles scientifiques SHS Web of Conferences, Proceedings of the SCAN’20-9e Séminaire de Conception Architecturale Numérique, Brussels, Belgium, 16–20 November 2020 EDP Sciences Paris, France 2020 Volume 82 02002 10.1051/shsconf/20208202002
Chen C. Härdle W. Unwin A. Handbook of Data Visualization Springer Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany 2008 10.1007/978-3-540-33037-0
ISO 59004:2024 Circular Economy—Vocabulary, Principles and Guidance for Implementation International Organization for Standardization Geneva, Switzerland 2024 Available online: https://www.iso.org/obp/ui#iso:std:iso:59004:ed-1:v1:en (accessed on 31 October 2024)