A literature review of measurement methods for building designs that enable higher-value resource recovery: the circular economy potential framework
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Systematic Review
Abstract: The construction sector is a major contributor to global raw material and land use, waste production, and water and energy consumption. Despite overall high consumption, some built structures are more sustainable than others; particularly, some contribute to the circular economy, supporting repeated use of construction resources. It is a reasonable assumption that the way in which built structures have been configured influences the potential to circulate integrated construction resources. However, which configurations influence this potential, and which methods exist to measure this influence, remains unclear. This paper presents a review of 32 quantitative methods to measure configurations that influence circular economy potential, identified from 73 research works collected through PRISMA and snowballing approaches. To address the fragmentation identified in this niche area of study, our paper provides a structured view of the literature by proposing a Circular Economy Potential framework that aligns design strategies, tiers of built assets, and circular economy resource flows. We then identify gaps in the literature and discuss opportunities and limitations towards a more holistic approach to quantifying a built asset’s circular economy potential. This will serve as a foundation for our development of a measurement method and tool for circular economy potential going forward.
Language: English
Subfield: Building and Construction
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,860
Funders: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, České Vysoké Učení Technické v Praze, National Research Foundation, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore-ETH Centre
OpenAlex ID: W4416301741