Aligning practices towards a circular economy in the architecture, engineering, and construction sector: seven transitions in different stages of reconfiguration

Mart van Uden, Hans Wamelink, Ellen van Bueren and Erwin Heurkens

Construction Management and Economics, 2025, vol. 43, issue 2, 153-174

Abstract: The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector is in need of a transition towards a circular economy. This article offers an analysis of two cases with a wide variation regarding project dynamics in the Netherlands. Alignments and misalignments were analyzed between practices concerning seven design strategies for circular design based on social practice theory and concepts from the multi-level perspective. Results show that many misalignments still hinder the transition, mostly concerning the use of secondary resources, such as notions regarding quality, beauty, and safety among project team members or rapid decision-making processes of the municipality that misalign with the uptake of design with secondary resources. This article offers directions for reconfiguration, such as better tuning between project planning and urban planning and taking up a more flexible stance regarding the function of the building. This research is interesting for practitioners and researchers focusing on the transition towards a circular economy in the AEC sector.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2024.2401829

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