Design for Circular Manufacturing and Assembly (DfCMA): Synergising Circularity and Modularity in the Building Construction Industry

Kaveesha Gihani Dewagoda (), S. Thomas Ng (), Mohan M. Kumaraswamy and Ji Chen
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Kaveesha Gihani Dewagoda: Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
S. Thomas Ng: Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
Mohan M. Kumaraswamy: Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Ji Chen: Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 21, 1-27

Abstract: Modular construction is emerging into the limelight in the construction industry as one of the front-running modern methods of construction, facilitating multiple benefits, including improved productivity. Meanwhile, Circular Economy (CE) principles are also becoming prominent in the Building Construction Industry (BCI), which is infamous for its prodigious resource consumption and waste generation. In essence, the basic concepts of modular construction and CE share some commonalities in their fundamental design principles, such as standardisation, simplification, prefabrication, and mobility. Hence, exploring ways of synergising circularity and modularity in the design stage with a Whole Life Cycle (WLC) of value creation and retention is beneficial. By conducting a thorough literature review, supported by expert interviews and brainstorming sessions, followed by a case study, the concept of Design for Circular Manufacturing and Assembly (DfCMA) was proposed to deliver circularity and modularity synergistically in circularity-oriented modular construction. This novel conceptualisation of DfCMA is envisaged to be a value-adding original theoretical contribution of this paper. Furthermore, the findings are expected to add value to the BCI by proposing a way forward to synergise circularity and modularity to contribute substantially towards an efficient circular built environment.

Keywords: building construction industry (BCI); circularity; circular economy (CE); designing for circularity (DfC); design for circular manufacturing and assembly (DfCMA); design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA); modularity; modular construction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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