The emergence of the Building Material Hub: A study identifying building material hubs for a circular built environment and the factors explaining their emergence

The reuse of secondary materials will be important in achieving a circular built environment. But now, this is challenging since material streams are not synchronized in terms of space and time. Building material hubs, a location where materials are gathered, examined, and momentarily stored before being packed and sent to the building site...

Circular area development: Recommendations for creating a circularly functioning area

Problem statement – As a result of the increasing world population, use of raw materials and energy, scarcity of the raw materials and the pressure on the environment, a transition to the concept of a circular economy has become more urgent. Since the Dutch government has the ambition to be fully circular in 2050, the concept of a circular...

Assessing circular buildings: A balance between circularity and life cycle costs of a building

Being one of the world’s largest waste generator, the construction industry is responsible for a train of events such as global warming, climate change, and depletion of natural resources. Materials are exhausted globally to a large extent and the waste produced in the process is not treated properly. A “take-make-dispose” or popularly known as...

Transforming the Built Environment through Product Service Systems: A Path towards a Circular Economy: “Exploring the Key Characteristics, Challenges, and Solutions in Implementing PSS in the Built Environment"

As climate change and resource shortages increasingly threaten our planet, the built environment sector is under scrutiny due to its significant contribution to carbon emissions and global raw resource extraction. A transition towards a circular economy, replacing the prevailing "take-make-dispose" model, is crucial. This research explores the...