A Framework to Accelerate the Circular Economy Implementation in the Construction Industry Through Digital Technology Adaptation

Sivanuja Thirumal¹, Nilupa Udawatta¹, Gayani Karunasena¹, Riyadh Al-Ameri¹

1. Deakin University

Published in Proceedings of the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (SASBE 2024), edited by Ali GhaffarianHoseini, Amirhosein GhaffarianHoseini, Farzad Rahimian and Mahesh Babu Purushothaman. Springer Nature, Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, volume 591, 2025, pages 52 to 64. DOI 10.1007/978-981-96-4051-5_6.

Abstract

Construction industry's status quo exacerbates ecological problems and compromises the environment's capacity for sustaining future generations. The concept of circular economy (CE) has transcended into this domain to solve construction needs amid resource constraints. The construction industry's initial adoption of CE has exposed implementation difficulties, prompting the search for enablers, and found Digital Technologies (DTs) to facilitate the adoption of CE practices. However, the construction industry is well known for its slow adoption of new technologies. Thus, drawing upon the principles of technology and innovation theories, this research aims to develop a framework to accelerate the implementation of CE in the construction industry through uptake of DTs by undertaking a literature review. The existing technology and innovation theories claim that an innovation’s perceived characteristics influence the rate at which it is adopted. Thus, the influential factors, which delay the uptake of DTs to promote circular construction practices were identified and the developed conceptual framework can be used to identify and assess the underlying factors, which delays the DTs adoption in the circular construction practices. These findings will be beneficial for construction practitioners and policymakers to adopt DTs to integrate CE practices in the construction industry.

Keywords

Session

Presented in Recorded Presentations, Session III, Saturday 9 November 2024, 11:00 to 13:30, room WG 201, Auckland University of Technology. Session chair Dr Antonio Lara Hernandez.

How to Cite

Thirumal, S., Udawatta, N., Karunasena, G., & Al-Ameri, R. (2025). A Framework to Accelerate the Circular Economy Implementation in the Construction Industry Through Digital Technology Adaptation. In A. GhaffarianHoseini, A. GhaffarianHoseini, F. Rahimian, & M. B. Purushothaman (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (SASBE 2024) (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, Vol. 591, pp. 52–64). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-4051-5_6

About the Conference

Presented at SASBE 2024, the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, held in Auckland from 7 to 9 November 2024 and chaired by Professors Ali and Amirhosein GhaffarianHoseini, founders of GDI Academy. The version of record is published by Springer Nature; this page is the conference archive record kept by GDI Academy.