ICT-Powered Decision Tools Accelerate Circular Economy in Construction

Why It Matters

The construction sector is a major consumer of resources, making its transition to a circular economy crucial for environmental sustainability. ICT-based decision support tools offer a structured approach to navigate the complexities of circular construction, from material selection to end-of-life management.

Key Finding

ICT tools are essential for advancing circular economy in construction, but current systems lack comprehensive integration, and adoption faces technological, business, and societal hurdles.

Key Findings

• ICT-based decision support tools are vital for successful construction circular economy implementation.
• There is a need for better integration of technologies into comprehensive information systems that consider the full scope of circular economy challenges.
• Challenges exist from technological, business, and societal perspectives in applying ICT to support circular economy in construction.

Research Evidence

Aim: To explore the current state, challenges, and future directions of ICT-based decision support tools for implementing circular economy principles in the construction industry.

Method: Systematic Literature Review

Procedure: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify, categorize, and analyze 62 papers published between 2010 and 2021 concerning ICT-based decision support tools for construction circular economy. A theoretical framework was developed to explain how these tools support circular practices throughout a building's lifecycle. Challenges and recommendations for future research were identified.

Sample Size: 62 papers

Context: Construction Industry, Circular Economy, Information and Communication Technologies

Design Principle

Leverage digital tools to enable informed, lifecycle-oriented decisions for sustainable material and resource management in construction.

How to Apply

When designing buildings or construction processes, research and utilize available Building Information Modeling (BIM) plugins or dedicated software that offer circularity metrics and decision support for material selection, waste reduction, and end-of-life planning.

Limitations

The review focuses on published literature and may not capture all emerging or proprietary ICT solutions. The effectiveness of specific tools in real-world scenarios requires further empirical validation.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: Using computers and software (ICT) can help construction projects make better choices to be more 'circular' – meaning they reuse materials and reduce waste.

Why This Matters: This research highlights how technology can make design projects more sustainable by helping them adopt circular economy principles, which is increasingly important for environmental responsibility.

Critical Thinking: How can the identified technological, business, and societal challenges be overcome to ensure widespread adoption of ICT for circular construction?

IA-Ready Paragraph: The integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) offers significant potential for advancing circular economy principles within the construction industry. As highlighted by Yu et al. (2022), ICT-based decision support tools can provide crucial insights for material selection, waste management, and end-of-life planning, thereby facilitating a more sustainable built environment. Designers should explore these digital solutions to systematically embed circularity into their projects.

Project Tips

• Investigate how digital tools can help you track materials and plan for reuse in your design project.
• Consider the entire lifecycle of your product, from sourcing to disposal, when selecting digital tools.

How to Use in IA

• Reference this study when discussing the use of digital tools or software to support sustainable design decisions in your design project.

Examiner Tips

• Demonstrate an understanding of how digital technologies can facilitate complex sustainability goals like the circular economy in your design project.

Independent Variable: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and their application as decision support tools.

Dependent Variable: Implementation of circular economy principles in the construction industry (e.g., resource efficiency, waste reduction, material reuse).

Controlled Variables: Characteristics of the construction industry, complexity of circular economy challenges, building lifecycle stages.

Strengths

• Comprehensive systematic literature review covering a decade of research.
• Development of a theoretical framework to explain ICT's role in circular construction.

Critical Questions

• What specific ICT tools are most effective for different stages of the construction lifecycle?
• How can interdisciplinary collaboration foster the development of 'Smart Circular Construction Ecosystems'?

Extended Essay Application

• An Extended Essay could investigate the development and testing of a prototype ICT tool designed to assess the circularity of building materials for a specific construction project.

Source

Circular economy in the construction industry: A review of decision support tools based on Information & Communication Technologies · Journal of Cleaner Production · 2022 · 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131335