Investigating Residential Building Materials in a Circular Economy: An Australian Perspective
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 150, Issue 9
Abstract
The circular economy plays a key role in the wider transition to a low-carbon built environment. Materials are critical in this transition, yet there is limited information about their current use in the built environment in many regions. This explorative study investigated circular economy in the Australian construction materials industry using a three-stage mixed-method approach. The first stage was to map actors and their practices and challenges related to material supply, use, and end of life. This involved 20 interviews with stakeholders and a workshop. The second stage was to assess key materials stocks and flows to identify the volume of the challenge through existing databases and consultation with industry stakeholders. The third stage was to understand the current state of material circularity at industry-leading examples. This was investigated through 13 interviews across two case studies, alongside site visits. These complementary research methods and stages provided findings into material circularity potential within the residential construction sector from both a macroperspective and a microperspective. The results included that new materials being used in construction are more than double the flow of waste out, showing that stocks of materials in use are growing rapidly but that data gaps are extensive. There was a focus on material reduction for cost-savings and sustainability, but there was significant opportunity for other circular economy principles, such as rethinking construction techniques. Further, in the context of a highly volatile industry, circularity requires a focus on material-specific institutional arrangements. The contribution to knowledge on construction materials and their supply chain provides fundamental insights that are required for the transition toward a circular economy, where the residential construction sector (not just in Australia but globally) would more readily reduce, reuse, recycle and recover resources, as well as being less reliant on virgin material use.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are proprietary or confidential in nature and may only be provided with restrictions.
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Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 150 • Issue 9 • September 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 30, 2023
Accepted: Mar 22, 2024
Published online: Jul 8, 2024
Published in print: Sep 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Dec 8, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Architectural engineering
- Buildings
- Business management
- Construction engineering
- Construction industry
- Construction management
- Construction materials
- Construction methods
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Environmental engineering
- Industries
- Materials engineering
- Organizations
- Practice and Profession
- Recycling
- Residential construction
- Structural engineering
- Structures (by type)
- Sustainable development
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