1,721,149 research outputs found
What's next in the Circular Economy? A Regenerative Business Model Database as a Source for Inspiration.
No full textWhat's next in the Circular Economy? A Regenerative Business Model Database as a Source for Inspiration.
No full textDigital Transformation of the Built Environment Towards a Regenerative Future
No full textThe concept of regeneration and its application in the built environment is crucial when considering how digital technologies contribute to the transition towards a circular economy. Regeneration in the built environment fosters economic, social, and environmental prosperity for all stakeholders involved, through coevolution, adaptation, knowledge and skill exchange, diversity of ecosystems, harmonisation, and reconciliation. These advantages extend to building users and owners, businesses, local governments, the environment, and the community as a whole. The regenerative design, construction, and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure enhances the economic, social, and environmental aspects of a region. This chapter discusses examples and business models that showcase the implementation of regenerative practices in the built environment and examines how the digital technologies discussed in the book can contribute to regeneration
Experimenting with Circular Business Models—A Process-Oriented Approach
No full textIn this chapter, Antikainen and Bocken illustrate how a 5-step circular business model experimentation process model approach can be used. The main challenges across different phases are identified. Based on a case study they identify challenges related to feasibility of the needed technology, environmental challenges and challenges related to the scalability. Also, the collaboration between company and other stakeholders as well as with communication and visibility were identified as relevant challenges. The approach helps organisations to focus on the most relevant issues that are also most prone for challenges during the process offering also very practical tools. To conclude, various future research paths are identified for this new research field
Circular Business Models for Digital Technologies in the Built Environment
No full textBusiness model innovation enabled by novel digital technologies can accelerate the impact and upscaling of the circular economy in the built environment. Digital technologies not only enable highly impactful new business models but also enable innovation of existing business models. Considering the disruptive power of digital technologies, rethinking business models in the construction sector for the circular economy is vital to manage risks and capture opportunities. This chapter presents 12 real-life cases of emerging business models enabled by digital technologies that successfully narrow, slow, close, or regenerate resource loops in the construction sector. Cases are analysed regarding how they create, deliver, and capture value and how they enable circularity. Findings present different types of business models for digital technologies prevalent for narrowing, closing, slowing, and regenerating resource loops and that enabling capabilities for circularity, such as tracking, monitoring, control, optimisation, design evolution, and information exchange, are at the core of their value propositions. Industry practitioners can use findings to familiarise themselves with emerging business models and innovation opportunities
Extended Reality as a Catalyst for Circular Economy Transition in the Built Environment
No full textExtended reality (XR) technologies refer to mixed reality and virtual reality configurations that augment real or represent fully virtual information in an intuitive and immersive manner, transforming the way we plan, design, construct, and operate built environment assets. XR offers great potential to support and accelerate the transition of built environment practices to a circular economy by supporting decisions based on narrow, slow, close, and regenerate strategies. Narrow strategies use XR to simulate the building process to identify potential issues, reduce material waste, and avoid costly mistakes. Slow strategies use XR to enable construction with durable materials and designing for adaptability to extend the lifespan of buildings. Close strategies use XR to facilitate material recovery and support repurposing and reuse, thus reducing waste. Regenerate strategies use XR as a motivational tool to engage citizens, communities, and professionals in design and management decisions. However, applying XR is not without challenges, including technical and process-related limitations, potential misuse, and a lack of rich digital twins. Future research opportunities include the development of rich and accurate digital twins, ethical and sustainable use of XR technologies, and overcoming technical and logistical challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration and user-friendly and accessible XR hardware and software.Integral Design & Managemen
Circular Robotic Construction
No full textIn situ robotic construction is a type of construction where mobile robotic systems build directly on the building site. To enable on-site navigation, industrial robots can be integrated with mobile bases, while mobile, high-payload construction machines can be adapted for autonomous operation. With parallel advances in sensor processing, these robotic construction processes can become robust and capable of handling non-standard, local, as-found materials.The potential of using autonomous, mobile robotic systems for the development of innovative circular construction processes is presented in three exemplary case studies:(i) robotically jammed structures from bulk materials, (ii) robotic earthworks with local and upcycled materials, and (iii) robotic additive manufacturing with earth-based materials. These processes exemplify key strategies for a circular industry through the utilisation of materials with low embodied greenhouse gas emissions and the implementation of fully reversible construction processes.For each case study, we describe the robotic building process, the enabling technologies and workflows, and the major sustainability and circularity benefits compared to conventional construction methods. Moreover, we discuss the difficulty of industry transfer, considering challenges such as detailing, integration, and engineering validation. We conclude with an outlook towards future research avenues and industry adoption strategies.Landscape Architectur
Geographic Information Systems for Circular Cities and Regions
No full textA geographic information system (GIS) stores, manipulates, analyses, and visualises spatial data. GIS enables the mapping of building elements and components and can optimise the location of facilities for circular activities, thus contributing to the closing of material loops and the spatial development of circular cities and regions. This chapter presents use cases of GIS in the circular built environment, with examples from academia, industry, and government. Academics use GIS data for urban mining studies to estimate the location and availability of secondary construction materials. Businesses in industry use GIS analysis to inform the facility location of circular construction hubs and (reverse) logistics. Governments use GIS to monitor and assess the circular spatial development potential of their (industrial) territories. In order to integrate GIS into circular economy solutions, improvements need to be made in making spatial data available and in presenting findings that emerge from it. Finally, present enthusiasm for GIS tools should be balanced by a deeper understanding of the connection between digital tools and governance decisions.The work of Tanya Tsui is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 821479. The work of Wendy Wuyts is funded by the Norwegian Research Council, as part of the circWOOD project (project no: 328698).Environmental & Climate DesignUrban Development Managemen
From Building Information Modelling to Digital Twins: Digital Representation for a Circular Economy
No full textBuilding information modelling (BIM) has ushered in the era of symbolic building representation: building elements and spaces are described not by graphical elements but by discrete symbols, each with properties and relations that explicitly integrate all information. Digital twinning promises even more: a digital replica in complete sync with the building and its behaviour. Such technologies have obvious appeal for circularity because they accommodate the rich information it requires and link circularity goals to other activities in AECO (architecture, engineering, construction and operation of buildings).Present implementations of BIM may fall short of the promise, and digital twinning may be hard to achieve, but they remain crucial not only for circularity but for all AECO disciplines. To realise the potential of such representations, information should be treated not as a product of integration but as the integrator of all activities. Similarly, digitalisation should be at the core of business models and deployment plans, not an additional or even optional layer at a high cost. This calls for a coherent approach that includes the full capture of building information, supports the detailed exploration of circular operations, uses the results to constrain decisions and actions and does so throughout the life cycle.Design & Construction Managemen
- …
