Abstract
Digital technologies are considered to be an essential enabler of the circular economy in various industries. However, to date, very few studies have investigated which digital technologies could enable the circular economy in the built environment. This study specifically focuses on the built environment as one of the largest, most energy- and material-intensive industries globally, and investigates the following question: which digital technologies potentially enable a circular economy in the built environment, and in what ways? The research uses an iterative stepwise method: (1) framework development based on regenerating, narrowing, slowing and closing resource loop principles; (2) expert workshops to understand the usage of digital technologies in a circular built environment; (3) a literature and practice review to further populate the emerging framework with relevant digital technologies; and (4) the final mapping of digital technologies onto the framework. This study develops a novel Circular Digital Built Environment framework. It identifies and maps ten enabling digital technologies to facilitate a circular economy in the built environment. These include: (1) additive/robotic manufacturing, (2) artificial intelligence, (3) big data and analytics, (4) blockchain technology, (5) building information modelling, (6) digital platforms/marketplaces, (7) digital twins, (8) the geographical information system, (9) material passports/databanks, and (10) the internet of things. The framework provides a fruitful starting point for the novel research avenue at the intersection of circular economy, digital technology and the built environment, and gives practitioners inspiration for sustainable innovation in the sector.
Highlights
By 2050, roughly two-thirds of the world’s population will be living in cities [1].By 2030, three billion people will need new housing [2]
Based on the findings from the previous steps, we identified ten enabling digital technologies (DTs) that support the transition of the built environment (BE) towards a Circular Economy (CE)
Our findings suggest that additive manufacturing (AM)/robotic manufacturing (RM) technologies are prominent among regeneration strategies because they are used to design bio-based materials and ease manufacturing with renewable construction materials
Summary
By 2050, roughly two-thirds of the world’s population will be living in cities [1].By 2030, three billion people will need new housing [2]. Today’s construction sector is the most resource-intensive sector in industrialized countries [3], using 50% of all materials consumed in Europe [4], creating 36% of the total waste in the European Union (EU) [5], and emitting 39% of our global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions [6] due to its linear model: we extract, produce, use, and dispose of building materials and resources. The challenge for all of the stakeholders of the built environment (BE) is to respond to global housing needs while reducing environmental impacts.
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