Explorative case study to gain insight on the consequences of circular infrastructural construction projects
Investigating the effects of circularity in construction projects on project process and construction costs.
M.J.M. Kanters (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)
Hans Wamelink – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Design & Construction Management)
D.F.J. Schraven – Mentor (TU Delft - Integral Design & Management)
Francesco Di Maio – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Resources & Recycling)
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Abstract
The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of implementing circularity in infrastructural construction projects. As a very polluting sector, circularity is becoming a more and more popular theme in the construction industry. Driven by both governmental regulations of reaching a full circular economy in 2050 and intrinsic motivation, construction companies are slowly introducing practices which contribute to circularity. Unfortunately, not much is yet known about the effects on project process and construction costs when implementing circularity. This research has initiated the first step towards understanding what the effects of circularity are on infrastructural construction projects, providing welcoming insights to both the academic world and practice. Based on a case specific comparison, a circular construction project is more expensive than a regular construction project, due to extra activities which need to be executed before a secondhand material can be applied. Regarding the project process, the circular construction project introduced ''gathering of materials'' as a whole new process step which is constantly interchanging with (re)design until a final design has been completed.