Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Using Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing in Circular Building Design: A Case Study for Wall Partitioning Systems in the Circular Retrofit Lab

Abstract

The Circular Economy (CE) paradigm has been gaining momentum. However, the tools and methods used to design, measure and implement circularity are not immediately suitable for decision making and practice by key stakeholders. This article details a qualitative and a quantitative method to evaluate characteristics such as circularity, adaptability and reuse of building elements amongst others in order to provide decision-makers, such as building clients, architects, investors and policy makers, an objective way to assess the benefits and constraints of circular buildings and elements. The study implements the method in the case study, the Circular Retrofit Lab in Belgium, and uses a multi-criteria decision approach to evaluate qualitative parameters and life cycle assessment and life cycle costing to quantitatively evaluate the circular solutions proposed in this study. As such, the paper shows how a multi-criteria decision approach can be applied to evaluate circular building solutions in the context of practical architectural projects, in this case assessing the suitability of three interior wall systems for applications with different turnover rates. The study shows that the overall performance of the evaluated wall systems varies largely from one expected user scenario to the other.

Multi-Criteria Optimization of Mechanized Earth Processes and Its Impact on Economic and Environmental Sustainability

“…The author proposes a novel multi-criteria temporary facility layout planning model that integrates analytic network process (ANP) modeling and simulation-based sensitivity evaluation, which effectively transforms the spatial layout planning problem into a mathematical decision problem. N. Rajagopalan [20] proposed a multi-criteria decision analysis using life cycle assessment and life cycle costing in circular building design. This article details a qualitative and a quantitative method to evaluate characteristics, such as circularity, adaptability, and reuse of building elements amongst others, to provide decision-makers, such as building clients, architects, investors, and policymakers, an objective way to assess the benefits and constraints of circular buildings and elements.…”

Prácticas de circularidad en la gestión de los Residuos de Construcción y Demolición en el sector de la construcción: una revisión bibliográfica de las estrategias y los elementos clave en su implementación

“…Fases Total Diseño/ planeación Construcción Uso Restauración/ rehabilitación Deconstrucción/ Demolición (3,5,14,15,22,32,44,53,56,68,73,82,88,92,98,102,111,125) X X X X X 5 (4,20,33,40,49,50,80,100,115,120,126) X X X X 4 (69, 127) X X X X (128) X X X X (2, 7, 18, 34, 37, 47, 52, 55, 58, 70, 75, 78, 86, 87, 89, 93, 96, 98, 105, 109, 118, 124, 129,) X X X 3 (8,17,27,36,38,77,85,90,98,108,113,(130)(131)(132) X X X (10,11,16,42,48,51,…”

“…Un ejemplo de esto es el reciclaje de los RCD, promovidos por las instituciones públicas y privadas, como un aspecto indispensable que permite la recuperación de gran parte de los desperdicios de las obras de construcción que se disponen en vertederos sin ser aprovechados. La economía circular ha comenzado a tener una implementación más notoria en la política de la comisión europea, donde algunos países han comenzado a implementar el sistema de producción y consumo orientado hacia la circularidad (19,20). En países como Escocia y Países Bajos, las empresas han comenzado a darle un nuevo uso a los productos y bienes que han sido desechados de manera que con sus tecnologías han optado por darles un segundo uso y reintroducirlos aumentando su valorización y la productividad de los recursos actuales (21).…”

Circular Project Selection: How Companies Can Evaluate Circular Innovation Projects

“…Both studies set the main focus on developing a multi-criteria decision model and, thus, do not discuss evaluation criteria and their CE implications in detail. Other authors propose criteria to evaluate the circularity of circular solutions, however, with a technical or environmental rather than a business focus e.g., [28,29]. To contribute to the research direction of circular project selection from an innovation perspective and provide detailed insights on evaluation criteria that can be applied in multi-criteria decision models, further research is needed.…”