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...

Investigating governance mechanisms in the inter-organizational collaboration between public clients and contractors during the front-end phase to facilitate the transition towards a circular economy in the built environment

The circular economy in the construction sector aims to lessen the environmental impact of construction projects by incorporating the end-of-life phase into the design and the conscious use of reusable resources. To achieve a circular economy in the built environment, it has been evidenced in the literature and practice that governance...

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...

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...

AMA diffused: Reorganising the built environment in an emerging knowledge economy

The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (AMA) is characterized by its strong performing economy and its high liveability standards, making the region an attractive place to live and work in. However, the AMA’s spatial structure and social geography have come under increased pressure. Unprecedented population growth as well as economic activity is...

At your service! Circular business model prototypes for a service provider in the construction industry

In recent years the circular economy has gained significant popularity, however practical implementation of the concept has not followed accordingly. Especially in the construction industry there is a need for a practical translation of the concept. This research makes this translation through the mutual development of circular economy theory...