Development of an Analytical Framework to Facilitate the Transition Towards a Circular Construction Economy

Johns, Nathan George Owen (2025) Development of an Analytical Framework to Facilitate the Transition Towards a Circular Construction Economy. Doctoral thesis, Birmingham City University.

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Abstract

The Anthropocene has redirected global economic development toward sustainable models to avoid destabilising Earth’s natural systems. Major contributing industries have been identified as a target for innovation; the largest of which is the construction industry. A leading innovation advocated by researchers and policymakers to address the problem is the Circular Economy (CE), which aims to create circular (as opposed to linear) material flows and enhance the economic potential of virgin materials entering the system. By circulating materials within an economy, the sustainability of its systems is improved; however, material thermodynamics will persist, and the CE will only delay the inevitable generation of waste. Due to the size, lifespan, and socio-economic importance of buildings developed by the construction industry, minor circular innovations can produce a considerable impact on the sustainability of the wider economy.

A core problem within the existing development of the CE within the construction industry is a lack of clarity and cohesiveness amongst policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. The development of the CE within the construction industry is trailing other industries, such as car manufacturing. CE practices within the construction industry are being applied on an ad hoc basis, reducing or mitigating the benefits of holistic applications. Although CE scholarship in construction has grown rapidly, United Kingdom (UK) based studies and syntheses remain comparatively few, and the international knowledge base is fragmented. Studies that seek to coalesce the CE’s practices are incomplete and lack cohesiveness with the wider body of knowledge. The fragmentation within studies identifying and categorising the practices of the CE insinuates a lack of holistic and comprehensive research to synthesise and standardise the approach of the CE within the construction industry. Furthermore, research into the drivers and barriers of implementing CE practices is in its infancy and faces similar impediments. Overall, the fragmentation and early-stage development of the Drivers, Barriers and Practices (DBPs) of the literature highlight a gap in knowledge towards the holistic, comprehensive, standardised, and systematic adoption of the CE within the UK construction industry. Therefore, this research aims to encapsulate the CE’s DBPs into a comprehensive framework to facilitate a systematic transition within the UK construction industry to a Circular Construction Economy (CCE).

This research adopts a pragmatist philosophy to identify and adopt methods to generate action within the construction industry to facilitate the UK’s transition to a CE. The study employs an abductive approach consisting of deductive and inductive stages. The DBPs of the CE were identified through a systematic literature review for the development of a theoretical framework in the form of a comprehensive taxonomy, which was then deductively and inductively investigated within the empirical studies. Two supply chains were identified as case studies to conduct semi-structured interviews. A snowball sample was used, following the purposive selection of highly experienced and influential practitioners within each supply chain, resulting in 27 participants. The data on the practices of the CE were collected qualitatively and analysed using discourse, comparative, and content analyses, which were later used to generate quantitative data to be analysed through descriptive statistics. The drivers and barriers of the CE were collected and analysed quantitatively using measures of central tendency and descriptive statistics, which were subjected to a discourse and comparative analysis.

The findings of the empirical studies found that both supply chains had different levels of development and faced different drivers and barriers. Commonalities between DBPs that were present throughout each group and supply chain were: laws and regulations, guidance/best practices, frameworks, and business models. These commonalities suggest that, above all, the supply chains require guidance through a model that can assess their circular needs and prescribe practices that can assist them to develop in a tailored fashion to achieve their organisational targets, resulting in the development of the Analytical Circular Construction Economy (ACCE) framework. The ACCE framework was then evaluated and validated in two focus groups, one within each supply chain, and through two external specialist interviews.

There are several contributions to knowledge and practice within this PhD study. Firstly, the bibliometric and scientometric analyses of the extant literature provide a cross-sectional view of the current body of knowledge surrounding the CE within the construction industry. From the fragmented literature, a comprehensive taxonomy was developed to coalesce the identified DBPs into one unified theoretical framework. This contribution to theory can establish a baseline for future research and empirical studies into the DBPs of the CE and provide guidance to practitioners investigating the potential options for developing their practice. The development of the ACCE framework presents a novel and structured list of DBPs that can be systematically compared to support a comprehensive analysis of CE development. Its simplicity and analytical structure make it scalable across various sample sizes, such as disciplines, organisational divisions, companies, supply chains, or entire industries, allowing it to effectively inform both practice and the advancement of CE theory. The findings of the ACCE framework’s application developed a foundational benchmark for the advancement of the CE within its respective supply chain. Although the findings are non-parametric case studies and cannot be generalised for the construction industry, the empirical findings provide a case for the development and guidance of the CE within other projects, academic or practical. Additionally, the proof of concept of the ACCE framework allows for future benchmarks to be developed in practice for the comparison of projects or the collection of generalisable industry-wide data for a holistic assessment of the construction industry.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Dates:	Date Event 14 November 2025 Accepted
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Circular Economy, construction industry, drivers, barriers, practices
Subjects:	CAH13 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01-02 - building
Divisions:	Architecture, Built Environment, Computing and Engineering > Architecture and Built Environment > Built Environment Doctoral Research College > Doctoral Theses Collection
Depositing User:	Louise Muldowney
Date Deposited:	01 Dec 2025 09:13
Last Modified:	01 Dec 2025 09:13
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16740

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