Circling Towards Profit: A Circular Life Cycle Approach to Evaluate the Economic and Environmental Feasibility of Buildings and Construction

Nouman Khadim, Rosa Agliata*, Luigi Mollo

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book / Report / Conference proceedingConference contributionAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The concept of Circular Economy (CE) has undergone a significant evolution, extending beyond the traditional 3R paradigm (reduce, reuse, recycle) to embrace a more holistic perspective that incorporates additional aspects. Previous research indicates the profound impact of circularity on the economic as well as the environmental domains of sustainability. Despite numerous efforts to integrate circularity metrics with established environmental and economic evaluation methods, a comprehensive framework that cohesively synthesizes circularity with both economic and environmental in a single unified framework is notably missing. To address this gap, this paper introduces the Cost of Circularity Assessment Tool (CoCAT), an innovative and integrated framework. CoCAT incorporates the Whole Building Circularity Indicator (WBCI) along with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) to simultaneously evaluate the economic as well as the environmental feasibility of various circular solutions. WBCI serves as the key metric on which the rest of the analysis is developed. The effective integration of WBCI with LCA has previously been demonstrated, and this study extends the methodology to encompass LCC through a rigorous literature review and critical analysis. The paper methodically explains this unified framework, aligning CE-based methodologies for all three assessments within the CoCAT in line with the existing standards. Additionally, it provides guidance on conducting integrated inventory analysis, combined interpretation, and visual representation of results, with a focus on whole-building level assessment. The research reveals that such integration streamlines the assessment process, saving time and effort. CoCAT can be used by stakeholders, companies and LCA practitioners to identify trade-offs between increased circularity and its impacts on sustainability performance (environmental and economic) for informed decision-making.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 11th International Conference of Ar.Tec. (Scientific Society of Architectural Engineering)
Subtitle of host publicationColloqui.AT.e 2024 - Volume 3
EditorsRossella Corrao, Tiziana Campisi, Simona Colajanni, Manfredi Saeli, Calogero Vinci
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages454-470
Number of pages17
Volume3
ISBN (Electronic)9783031718670
ISBN (Print)9783031718663, 9783031718694
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2024
Event11th International Conference of Ar.Tec. (Scientific Society of Architectural Engineering), Colloqui.AT.e 2024 - Palermo, Italy
Duration: 12 Jun 202415 Jun 2024

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Civil Engineering
Volume612 LNCE
ISSN (Print)2366-2557
ISSN (Electronic)2366-2565
NameColloqui.AT.e: International Conference of Ar.Tec. (Scientific Society of Architectural Engineering)
PublisherSpringer
Volume2024

Conference

Conference11th International Conference of Ar.Tec. (Scientific Society of Architectural Engineering), Colloqui.AT.e 2024
Country/TerritoryItaly
CityPalermo
Period12/06/2415/06/24

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

Keywords

  • Circular buildings
  • Circular economy
  • Circular life cycle costing
  • Circularity assessment
  • Cost of circularity

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