Interconnections: An Analysis of Disassemblable Building Connection Systems towards a Circular Economy

O’Grady, Timothy; Minunno, Roberto; Chong, Heap‐Yih; Morrison, Gregory M.

doi:10.3390/buildings11110535

Cited by 18 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Multiple design strategies exist in the literature to aid with implementing CE. Design for disassembly (DfD) is one of the key strategies for implementing CE in buildings [13,26,46,47]. Thormark [48] defined design for disassembly as a design method used in buildings to ensure that building components can be easily disassembled at the end of their useful life and its parts can be reused or recycled with minimal waste.…”

Section: Circular Economy Design Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Cycle Cost in Circular Economy of Buildings by Applying Building Information Modeling (BIM): A State of the Art

AlJaber,

Alasmari,

Martinez-Vazquez

et al. 2023

Buildings

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The building industry is one of the largest consumers of materials resources and significant contributors to global waste. Applying core principles of circular economy (CE) could significantly help the environment by reducing waste and decreasing the life cycle cost of buildings. Several strategies to implement the concept of CE in buildings include design for deconstruction, adaptability, and flexibility. However, implementing these design strategies could face constraints. In this study, we identified 22 barriers related to the adoption of CE in buildings, as reported in the literature. We discussed the role of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in overcoming those barriers. This paper demonstrates how BIM can facilitate the implementation of CE principles while providing critical insights into the life cycle costs of circular buildings. We identified 14 ways to use BIM to foster the implementation of a circular economy approach. To achieve these objectives, we have undertaken a thorough review of recent publications that explore CE design strategies, Life Cycle Costing in the circular construction of buildings, and BIM developments in the building industry. This literature review is based on 88 articles covering BIM’s role in enhancing the management of a building’s end-of-life while reducing the life cycle cost in the circular construction of buildings.

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Section: Circular Economy Design Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Cycle Cost in Circular Economy of Buildings by Applying Building Information Modeling (BIM): A State of the Art

AlJaber,

Alasmari,

Martinez-Vazquez

et al. 2023

Buildings

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“…In line with the circular economy framework, designing modular buildings for disassembly and reuse can help decrease waste production and material depletion [76].…”

Section: Evaluation Of the End-of-life Impacts Of The Construction Ma...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…BIM is considered an information technology-enabled platform that can help to achieve the integration of interdisciplinary collaboration [83]. Some scholars [76] provided a design for the manufacture and assembly DfMA framework that is aimed at achieving integration with BIM and allowing for customer participation in the process. Further study is recommended on how the BIM technology can be further adapted (with system dynamics principles) as one of the visual means of education for construction stakeholders on the concept of sustainable construction.…”

Section: Addressing Various Factors That May Affect the Uptake Of Sus...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A framework for the evaluation of the decision between onsite and offsite construction using life cycle analysis (LCA) concepts and system dynamics modeling

Mofolasayo

2023

WJCEA

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The decision to choose between onsite and offsite construction is important in the effort toward sustainable construction. Offsite construction is often promoted as an environmentally friendly approach to construction operations. However, previous studies have shown that there is a lack of clarity on the environmental trade-offs between onsite and offsite construction. Factors that can affect the decision to build onsite or offsite include the availability of a local offsite manufacturing facility, the distance of the offsite factory to the final place of use, the proximity of the site to the local supply of material and labor, etc. This study provides a framework to apply the system dynamic modeling technique to evaluate how various factors can affect the environmental impact of the building construction phase (for onsite or offsite construction methods). The system dynamic model (using Vensim software) that was developed provides a platform that allows users to input variables such as the distance that is expected for transportation of labor, material, and equipment to both the onsite facility and the offsite construction location, factors associated with the use of equipment for construction, the distance needed for transportation of building panels or modules from the offsite facility to the final site, etc. Among other things, the model showed that an increase in the distance from the offsite yard to the final construction site increases the total impacts of transportation of completed modules. An increase in the number of trips for the transportation of material to the onsite construction location increases the total impact of onsite construction. In terms of the environmental impact of construction, none of the two methods of construction gives an absolute superiority over the other. The environmental performance of offsite and onsite depends on various associated factors. It is recommended that building practitioners review various factors that are peculiar to their projects to make an informed decision on the best construction methods.

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“…A central aspect of DfD is the emphasis on product recovery, ensuring that materials are not merely consumed but are continually reintegrated into the building lifecycle (O'Grady et al 2021). This method promotes a forwardthinking ethos where buildings are conceptualized not just for their immediate function, but also with a vision of their eventual deconstruction, reuse, and repurposing (Munaro and Tavares 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accounting for product recovery potential in building life cycle assessments: a disassembly network-based approach

Abu-Ghaida,

Ritzen,

Hollberg

et al. 2024

Int J Life Cycle Assess

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Purpose Existing life cycle assessment (LCA) methods for buildings often overlook the benefits of product recovery potential, whether for future reuse or repurposing. This oversight arises from the limited scope of such methods, which often ignore the complex interdependencies between building products. The present paper, backed by its supplementary Python library, introduces a method that addresses this gap, emphasizing the influence of product interdependencies and future recovery potential on environmental impact. Methods Implementing the proposed method requires adding a phase, the recovery potential assessment, to the four phases that constitute an LCA according to the ISO 14040/14044 guidelines. Given the disassembly sequence for each product, in the first step of the recovery potential assessment, a disassembly network (DN) is created that displays structural and accessibility dependencies. By calculating the average of the disassembly potential (DP) of each structural dependency (second step) associated with that product, we obtain the DP (0.1–1) at the product level in a third step. Because there is no empirical data available to support a specific relationship between product disassembly potential and recovery potential (RP) (0–1), we employ, in a fourth step, a flexible model specification to represent scenarios of how this relationship may look like. Ultimately, for each scenario, the resulting RP is used to enable a probabilistic material flow analysis with a binary outcome, whether to be recovered or not. The resulting product-level median material flows are then used to quantify the building’s environmental impact for a given impact category in the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). The results are interpreted through an uncertainty, hotspot, and sensitivity analysis. Results and discussion Our results show that not considering the interdependencies between building products in building LCAs results in underestimating the embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 28.29%. This discrepancy is primarily attributed to a failure to account for additional material flows stemming from secondary replacements owing to the interdependencies during the life cycle. When accounting for end-of-life recovery benefits, a zero-energy building (ZEB) design incorporating some DfD principles demonstrated up to 45.94% lower embodied GHG emissions than the ZEB design with low disassembly potential when assuming that recovered products will be reused. Conclusions Our approach provides first-of-a-kind evidence that not accounting for recovery potential may significantly distort the results of an LCA for buildings. The method and its supporting code support the semi-automated calculation of the otherwise neglected potential environmental impact, thus helping to drive the transition towards a more sustainable built environment. The supporting code allows researchers to build on the proposed framework if more data on the relationship between DP and RP become available in the future. Finally, while applied to buildings in this paper, the proposed framework is adaptable to any complex product with limited modifications in the supporting code.

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Interconnections: An Analysis of Disassemblable Building Connection Systems towards a Circular Economy

Cited by 18 publications

References 52 publications

Life Cycle Cost in Circular Economy of Buildings by Applying Building Information Modeling (BIM): A State of the Art

Life Cycle Cost in Circular Economy of Buildings by Applying Building Information Modeling (BIM): A State of the Art

A framework for the evaluation of the decision between onsite and offsite construction using life cycle analysis (LCA) concepts and system dynamics modeling

Accounting for product recovery potential in building life cycle assessments: a disassembly network-based approach

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