Circular Economy in the European Construction Sector: A Review of Strategies for Implementation in Building Renovation

Abstract

Building renovation was declared a key point for sustainable development, however, the renovation rate of residential buildings in the European Union is insufficient to meet the climate and energy targets set. This paper analyses the main circular economy models used in the construction sector, as well as the situation of the building renovation market, to set a framework for circular economy models in building renovation. Of all the existing strategies in this sector, design, material recovery, building renovation and end-of-life actions would be the best, respectively. It also includes a market analysis consisting of a literature review covering PEST perspectives (political, economic, social and technical) and a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats), concluding with a market gap analysis. The results of these analyses allow the development of a series of suggestions and strategies to be followed in order to solve the main barriers that hinder the implementation of the circular economy in the building´s renovation sector.

Implementing Circular Economy throughout the Construction Project Life Cycle: A Review on Potential Practices and Relationships

“…The effective management of cost and other uncertainties is critical for the successful completion of a construction project [21]; accordingly, it is important to focus on CE initiatives in these areas. Less focus given to the aforementioned critical areas would hinder the successful transition towards CE in the construction industry [23], as a successful transition requires a comprehensive understanding of the entire construction process and a focus on possible CE practices at each stage of the construction life cycle [11,25,26].…”

Combining CAD Modeling and Simulation of Energy Performance Data for the Retrofit of Public Buildings

“…Thus, the optimization procedure we propose here consists first in selecting, simulating and evaluating the most efficient interventions in terms of energy costs, while minimizing the optimization procedure we propose here consists first in selecting, simulating and evaluating the most efficient interventions in terms of energy costs, while minimizing the intrusion and interruption of the building operation. According to numerous in-depth studies on the key phases of building renovation [8][9][10], and as shown in Figure 1, there are five stages of intervention in the renovation of an existing building. The first phase consists of a preliminary approach to the project.…”

“…The third phase is the evaluation of the potential of each intervention, while the fourth phase is dedicated to the implementation of the renovation solutions, which are finally validated by the results in the fifth phase [11]. Numerous studies already provide tools and context for reducing energy consumption around the world [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Retrofitting existing structures can significantly reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.…”

“…Therefore, they propose a machine learning approach to indicate optional interventions. Numerous studies already provide tools and context for reducing energy consumption around the world [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Retrofitting existing structures can significantly reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.…”

Circularity Indicators as a Design Tool for Design and Construction Strategies in Architecture

“…Accounting for the broader perspective of hierarchical connectivity alongside material selection constitutes an innovative approach towards circularity and the implementation of circularity metrics in the design decision process, ensuring that the concept-design stage encompasses a holistic evaluation in promoting circularity and linking the DfD strategies with waste hierarchies [1,[25][26][27]29,[32][33][34].…”