The built environment is a major polluter of the environment and a significant contributor to carbon emissions. It is responsible for more than half of the world’s raw resource extraction. After a review of 337 previous studies on circularity in the built environment, 40 have bee
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The built environment is a major polluter of the environment and a significant contributor to carbon emissions. It is responsible for more than half of the world’s raw resource extraction. After a review of 337 previous studies on circularity in the built environment, 40 have been identified useful for the study. The literature is organised in five key themes: circular strategies, circular business models, management reporting systems, organising systems in construction practice and the resource processing. However, while the literature seems to be focused on questions surrounding the five themes, the real estate development process is underrepresented. Hence the research question this research paper focuses on is: What is the current and future role of the real estate development process in delivering circularity in the built environment? By conducting interviews with various practitioners engaged in circular real estate development processes, current practices and future aspirations have been identified. Additionally, barriers have been identified and analysed. The thesis ends with a proposed circular real estate development process, harbouring flexibility in the construction phase, mitigation regarding government regulations, a changed value proposition for materials, involvement of stakeholders with the same, open mind set and the use of material passports in the design, construction, exploitation and end of life phase.