Susilowati, F; Abadi, M and Wang, Y (2024) Developing a conceptual framework for 'designing out waste' in construction circular economy: A systematic literature review. In: Thomson, C (ed.) Proceedings of 40th Annual ARCOM Conference, 2-4 September 2024, London South Bank University, UK.
Abstract
Construction is consuming large amounts of natural resources while producing high quantities of waste as the industry is following a reactive approach to waste management. A more effective approach is to 'design out waste (DoW)' by promoting waste reduction early in the project. However, the literature lacks a framework to support a systemic adoption of the DoW concept. This paper presents the preliminary results of a systematic literature review of 55 highly relevant journal articles to develop an integrated framework of DoW strategies and identify associated barriers. The framework includes nineteen strategies grouped under five principles. A socio-technical approach was adopted to categorise barriers into six barrier factors. The findings reveal that the 'Design for off-site construction' principle is the most effective for waste reduction, while there are many barriers associated with the 'Design for reuse and recovery' principle. The most prominent barriers are related to 'Industry structure' and 'People, knowledge and awareness' and the priority mitigating actions include adopting BIM tools, training, financial incentives, and policy support.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction; circular economy; design out waste |
| Index terms: | strategy, financial incentive, off-site construction, natural resource, socio-technical, conceptual framework, systematic literature review, recovery, waste management, journal, circular economy, waste reduction |
| Subjects: | waste management, sustainable design, research evaluation and metrics, research dissemination and communication, sustainability assessment, economic analysis, environmental resource management, management, operations management, research methods, building construction, theoretical framing |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Research Practice, Project Management, Construction Technology, Business Strategy, Engineering Principles |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here