Despite growing government and market interest to use Circular Building Hubs for reusing construction components, few academic articles have been written about them. We know little about the potential of hubs to answer to the challenges of reuse in the present and future, and their potential to drive systemic changes towards a circular economy. Using various qualitative research methods, this article aims to respond to this research gap by applying social practice theory and the multilevel perspective on past and future practice reconfigurations within the system-of-practices in which these hubs reside. Results show that within hubs reconfiguration from demolition to deconstruction and repair and refurbishment practices have been developed. However, selling components remains challenging, and procurement for reuse and design skill remain underdeveloped. Practitioners expect the system-of-practices to professionalize in the coming years, resulting in market growth for secondary components. Long term, practitioners expect hubs to shrink or disappear because the balance between supply and demand will be controlled digitally. Hubs are therefore a driver for the transition, but only as intermediate step, not as solution for a circular economy. This article is particularly interesting for academics studying CE and transitions, and policy makers interested in developing Circular Building Hubs.

@en

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.@en

Within the framework of 'Blueprints for messy cities? Navigating the interplay of order and complexity at the "Reinventing the City" conference, this paper delves into a critical aspect of circular urban development and the assessment of building material reusability. As cities like Amsterdam strive for greater liveability, resilience, and sustainability, a good understanding of circularity becomes imperative. In the dynamic landscape of urban innovation spanning mobility, renewable energy, climate adaptation, and digitization, our research focuses on the intricate domain of building material reusability. We integrate key factors influencing construction product reusability into our assessment framework. The intention of my ongoing PhD program is to establish a framework that incorporates various factors, including practical, financial, organizational, and others. These factors constitute integral elements guiding our decision-making process. The primary contribution of this study lies in the development of a BIM-integrated method designed to quantify the material reusability value. This method, rooted in numerical analysis, focuses specifically on material life expectancy. The lifespan, or in other words, the age of the material, plays a crucial role in determining the material reusability value. As the initial step in my PhD research, gaining insight into the reusability level involves investigating the impact of age. The benefits of this method are manifold. Firstly, it serves as a forecasting tool, enabling stakeholders to anticipate the amount and quality of materials obtainable from buildings at the end of their life cycle. This foresight facilitates strategic planning for material reuse, recycling, and disposal, contributing to more sustainable urban development practices. Secondly, the method provides vital information about the categories of materials resulting from deconstruction and demolition processes, namely, those suitable for reuse, recycling, and disposal. This insight assists stakeholders in making informed decisions regarding proper equipment and resource allocation for each category, thereby optimizing the efficiency of the overall process. As urbanization continues to reshape our global landscape, cities emerge as catalysts for transformative change. This transformative potential is exemplified in pioneering initiatives like Urbiquay. Urbiquay, embodies the essence of urban evolution, showcasing a commitment to sustainable urban development and progressive methodologies. The method presented in this paper is developed to contribute to such transformative endeavours, particularly in the Logiquay project's Work Package 2 (WP2), which is also my ongoing PhD research. The method's ability to forecast the obtainable materials, categorize them based on reuse potential, and guide decision making on equipment and resource allocation aligns with the objectives of Logiquay, WP2. It bridges the gap between innovative research and practical, on the ground application, offering a pathway for cities to integrate sustainability into their ongoing urban transformation.@en

Researchers employ many different approaches to study transitions towards more sustainable futures, of which Sustainability Transitions Research and Social Practice Theory are often used. These approaches offer complementary concepts that are helpful to analyse, explain, forecast, and drive sustainability transitions, e.g. heuristics on changing institutions (Sustainability Transitions Research) or dynamics to change behaviour through practice development (Social Practice Theory). However, despite first attempts, it remains unclear how the approaches can be used together. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to expose crossover frameworks in which these approaches are used together, elaborating on conditions that make this possible, and the strengths and weaknesses of specific crossover frameworks. A systematic literature review has been conducted, investigating the potentials and the limitations for crossovers between Social Practice Theory and Sustainability Transitions Research by analysing the approaches according to the different ontologies and theories and then analysing frameworks that have been created so far. This research elaborates on six crossover frameworks that have been created that all have diverse strengths, such as the ability to conceptualize early transitional changes or finding points of resistance in transitions. All the found crossover frameworks made use of either the multilevel perspective or transition management. Other frameworks of transition research have not been found. This research shows that there has been surprisingly little research to crossover frameworks that incorporate an element of time. The exposition following from this study is interesting for researchers and policymakers working on sustainability transitions and sets an agenda for further framework development.@en

In Nederland worden te weinig woningen geproduceerd om aan de vraag te voldoen. Conceptuele woningbouw biedt voor een deel van de opgave de kans om de productie te verhogen en te versnellen. In de markt is een grote variëteit van conceptaanbieders aanwezig. Conceptuele woningen worden in veel verschillende verschijningsvormen aangeboden en ook de aanbieders van deze woningen tonen onderling verschillen. Uit dit onderzoek blijkt dat opdrachtgevers het lastig vinden om onderscheid te maken tussen de verschillende aanbieders. Daarnaast geven conceptaanbieders aan dat ze als producent gezien willen worden en niet als aannemer. Het doel van dit onderzoek was de ontwikkeling van een hulpmiddel waarmee voor afnemers relevante eigenschappen van verschillende woningconcepten in kaart kunnen worden gebracht. De hoofdvraag van dit onderzoek is: Hoe onderscheiden de in Nederland beschikbare woningconcepten zich op voor opdrachtgevers relevante eigenschappen? Met dit onderzoek hebben we eigenschappen geïdentificeerd op basis waarvan opdrachtgevers op een eenvoudige wijze potentiële aanbieders en concepten kunnen selecteren. De eigenschappen zullen worden opgenomen in de Conceptenboulevard.nl van het Netwerk Conceptueel Bouwen (NCB), een online platform, waarop woningconcepten met elkaar kunnen worden vergeleken. Met dit onderzoek trachten we de woningbouw opgave te versnellen doordat opdrachtgevers makkelijker een preselectie kunnen maken van partijen die geschikt zijn voor een bepaalde opgave.@en

Circularity for Educators’, and a second platform for interaction and direct exchange that we call ‘Educators for Circularity’, are part and parcel of the Circular Impulse Initiative (CII), a project intending to enhance the integration of circularity in BK education. Whereas the first provides with content on either circularity or pedagogy, the latter offers the opportunity for all of us to meet and share our experiences and learn from one another. More than 40 professors and researchers have contributed so far with videos and additional resources that are open and accessible to all. @en

Deze leidraad gaat over circulair ontwerpen, hét moment waarin circulaire ambities vorm krijgen. De keuzes die dan worden gemaakt, hebben immers een grote invloed op het resultaat. Maar dan moeten we er natuurlijk wel voor zorgen, dat de juiste keuzes worden gemaakt. En ook moeten alle betrokkenen bij het ontwerpproces dezelfde doelen en dezelfde oplossingen nastreven. Het zal duidelijk zijn dat goede afspraken hierover de ruis in de communicatie aanzienlijk vermindert en er uiteindelijk een effectiever ontwerpproces ontstaat. Met deze leidraad ‘Circulair ontwerpen’ leggen we die afspraken vast. Het gaat daarbij om afspraken die geschikt zijn voor de bouwsector in de breedte (woning- en utiliteitsbouw en GWW/infra), met, waar relevant, specificering naar de deelsectoren. En ook om afspraken die zich niet alleen richten op ontwerpers maar ook op alle andere rollen die een bijdrage kunnen of moeten leveren aan een circulair ontwerp en de realisatie daarvan. De afspraken aan ontwerpers moeten uiteraard voldoende vrijheid geven en geen belemmering vormen voor innovatie.@en

The Paris Agreement requires building retrofitting practices to be more efficient and effective. However, the current practice for building energy retrofitting is lacking behind, and one reason for that is the time-consuming process of energy credit evaluation. Energy performance assessment such as BREEAM-NL in the Netherlands could apply a more automatic approach with the help of building information modelling (BIM) for an efficient building energy retrofitting evaluation process. However, to what extent BIM can help in accelerating energy performance evaluation in the BREEAM-NL certification process is under-examined. This paper first combines literature findings with practical interviews from a case study organization to present a holistic overview of the potential for automating energy-related credits evaluation in BREEAM-NL using BIM. To understand the possible impacts of such transition, a responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed (RACI) matrix is developed to map the impacts on different actors involved. Furthermore, to help practitioners in an organizational context to adopt a BIM-enabled energy credits assessment workflow, the case study organization is studied to (1) understand their current BIM use status; (2) propose a suitable starting point to take toward a BIM-enabled energy performance assessment for building energy retrofitting. Finally, the proposed starting point is demonstrated using a customized application, and the project team’s feedback is used to verify its efficiency and future directions are identified. @en

The aim of this paper is to better understand the dynamics of circular construction projects and how these interorganizational projects contribute to the transition towards a circular economy. It is essential that the construction sector develops and adopts interorganizational initiatives to support the transition to a circular and low-carbon construction economy. A benefit of being involved in such initiatives is that organizations reflect on the emergence and acceptance of new practices related to changing organizational roles and responsibilities. In this paper, we study eight circular construction projects within the context of an interorganizational initiative to stimulate the transition towards a circular economy by exploring insights from evaluations thereof. We build upon literature from Sustainability Transitions Research (STR), circular construction research, and interorganizational project studies. Our findings show three clusters of dynamics that are relevant in the realization of circular ambitions in interorganizational construction projects: (1) prerequisites, (2) temporal dynamics in interorganizational projects, and (3) contextual influences. These insights highlight factors that enable the realization of circular ambitions in construction projects and contribute to our understanding of the dynamics of interorganizational construction projects and their role in the context of STR.

@en

Circularity aims to make waste obsolete by both closing and narrowing resource loops and by extending the lifespan of materials and products. This fundamentally different approach to construction practices necessitates a completely different method of organising the construction process. The rounds of decision-making undertaken by different actors at particular moments in the construction process have a significant role to play in this regard. Consequently, this research aims to analyse current circular practices for both the multi-actor environment and the decision-making process. An analytical framework is developed based on the theoretically-informed assumption that actors are responsible for decision-making and that circular strategies are an effective means through which to integrate circularity within the construction process. This analytical framework is applied to three circular building cases in the Netherlands, by drawing upon stakeholder interviews and documentation. It can be concluded that: some conventional actors have acquired knowledge on circularity; and that there is an emergent group of expert actors specialising in circularity. Both types of actors are a prerequisite for implementing circular strategies at both the beginning and end-of-life phase of a building; and should be involved early on to influence decision-making on circularity, especially concerning the long-lived layers of a building.@en

In dit hoofdstuk staan de verschillende aspecten van de rol van een bouwkundig ingenieur centraal. Allereerst wordt ingegaan op de verschillende rollen die een bouwkundige ingenieur vervult in het projecten netwerk, over het algemeen als medewerker binnen een private of publieke organisatie, zoals gemeentes, architectenbureaus, ingenieursbureaus, ontwikkelaars, bouwbedrijven en projectmanagement bureaus.@en

Circularity aims to reduce waste by closing and narrowing resource loops and by extending the lifetime of materials and products. As a consequence of this fundamentally different approach to construction practices, implementation entails a different organization of the building process. The purpose of this research is to make recommendations with respect to the actor network and the decision-making process to facilitate implementation of circularity in construction practices. First, a theoretical framework is developed to structure and prioritize decision-making to implement circularity based on resource and value strategies. Second, this framework is applied to three circular building cases in the Netherlands, relying on stakeholder interviews and documentation. These cases include a renovation project, a newly built project, and a transformation project. Third, analysis of the case study data demonstrates the actor network and decision-making process including the following aspects: Actors, resources, relations, positions, influence, and decision rounds. It can be concluded that: i) some conventional actors have acquired knowledge on circularity; and ii) expert actors emerged who have specialized in circularity. Both types of actors are a prerequisite iii) to implement circular strategies for the beginning and end phase of the building's lifetime; and iv) should be involved early on (in the design-making processes) to influence decision-making on circularity, especially concerning the long-lived layers of a building.

@en

Project-based firms have to capture value from the projects in which they engage. This can be challenging as firms need to reconcile project goals and organizational goals while attempting to avoid the slippage of value to other actors. Drawing on interviews with architects and clients, this research reveals how architectural firms used the strategies of postponing financial revenues in a project, compensating for loss of financial revenues across projects and rejecting a project to accept or mitigate the slippage of financial value, and to avoid the potential slippage of professional value in projects. With these strategies firms attempt to enhance their overall benefits. The study contributes to the literature on project business by showing how a more nuanced conceptualization of value slippage is particularly helpful to theoretically explain and practically manage
the value capture of project-based firms through both single project and project portfolio decisions.@en

his study investigates whether integrative and collaborative practices of the construction industry can be exclusively attributed to integrated project-delivery methods or whether traditional project-delivery methods also foster integration within project-based design teams. Project managers assessed team collaboration and the integration of teams into 46 construction industry projects in The Netherlands. Explanatory factor analysis (EFA) was used to identify the components that explained collaboration and integration within project design teams. Using analysis of variance of factor scores, the main finding of the study was that, in the construction industry, collaboration is an independent component in integrative and collaborative practices that can be reliably assessed in research. Furthermore, this study provides evidence suggesting that both traditional and integrated project-delivery methods might lead to collaboration over time. The third finding is that different project-delivery methods were not significantly different in terms of the dimensions of integration and collaboration, except in the component of inclusive decision making within the building team and for strategic partnering. The findings suggest that relying on the type of project-delivery method is not sufficient for managers communicating about the level of supply chain integration and collaboration.@en

‘De toekomstige rol van de architect’ beschrijft de essentie van onze wetenschappelijke verkenning naar nieuwe rolstructuren in de Nederlandse architectenbranche. Deze verkenning is uitgevoerd in het kader van het futurA project, dat verwijst naar future value chains of architectural services. Vier jaar lang hebben we vanuit de Technische Universiteit Delft en Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen in nauwe samenwerking met de BNA onderzoek gedaan naar de toekomstbestendigheid van de rollen die architectenbureaus in het bouwproces vervullen. Het futurA project is één van de 23 projecten die vanuit NWO, de Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, binnen het programma CLICK.NL in 2013 tot stand is gekomen om de kennis over en innovatie in de creatieve industrie te versterken. De doelstelling van het project was om veranderingen in het werkveld van de architect ten gevolge van sociaal-maatschappelijke verschuivingen en de financiële crisis te doorgronden en kansen voor de toekomst bloot te leggen. De architect als ondernemer was lange tijd een onderwerp waar weinig aandacht voor was in de bouw. Inmiddels is ondernemerschap in de architectenbranche een gangbaar begrip. Ook de BNA ontplooit veel activiteiten op dit gebied. We zijn als team uitermate trots dat onze promovendi Marina Bos-de Vos en Bente Lieftink, ieder vanuit hun eigen expertisegebied, met veel enthousiasme wetenschappelijke verdieping hebben gezocht in het woud aan interessante praktijkvoorbeelden en persoonlijke ervaringen. We hebben hierdoor zowel gedegen kennis kunnen vergaren op het gebied van het creëren en toe-eigenen van professionele, financiële en gebruikswaarde, als inzicht gekregen in de verschillende rolstructuren in de bouwketen en het bestendigen van veranderingen hierin. Ons onderzoek heeft geleid tot de ontwikkeling van deze ontwerpgids die zijn gebundeld in deze wetenschappelijke ontwerpgids voor het architectenbureau van de toekomst. Naast theoretische inzichten over het bureau en de samenwerking binnen een project wordt een onderscheid gemaakt in vier rolidentiteiten van waaruit de architect in de bouwketen kan acteren: de initiator, de specialist, de productontwikkelaar en de integrator. Het spelbord met kaartjes, dat als bijlage beschikbaar is bij deze publicatie, kan op verschillende manieren gebruikt worden om in gezamenlijkheid na te denken over waar je als bureau met een project heen wilt en welke verdienmodellen en manieren van samenwerken daar het beste bij past. Per rolidentiteit worden de meest cruciale uitdagingen en kansen voor de bedrijfsvoering van architectenbureaus en de samenwerking in de keten weergegeven. Dit maakt het mogelijk om je rol in een project zelf te ontwerpen. Onze taak zit er hiermee op. Het is aan de lezer van het boek en gebruiker van het spel om de opgedane inzichten verder te vertalen in financieel en professioneel duurzame rollen voor de architect van de toekomst. @en

The demand for housing and affordable housing specifically will always become challenges for the government of the day. The solutions at the moment between conventional construction and IBS facing quality and costing problems respectively. In this article, it proposes the introduction of circular economy in a flexible housing project. To support the industrial revolution 4.0, this study is suggesting an alternative approach towards manufacturing the house as a commodity for the users. The idea of a circular economy is to reduce the price consumption by extending the lifespan of the housing unit. Towards the end, this article reports a design workshop conducted with the architects to produce a proof-of-concept of an affordable flexible house using CE (circular economy) principles. The flexible affordable house offers a solution to the lack of affordable housing and proposes alternative solutions to the problems. The study will benefit the government and Malaysians who opt for alternative housing in the future.

@en

‘Future Roles for Architects’ describes the core insights from a research project into new role structures in the Dutch architectural sector, conducted as part of the futurA project on “future value chains of architectural services”. For four years a joint team from Delft University of Technology and Radboud University in Nijmegen, working in close collaboration with BNA, the Royal Institute of Dutch Architects, studied the future of the professional roles performed by architectural firms within the broader construction process. FuturA was one of 23 projects funded by NWO, the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, in 2013 as part of the CLICK.NL programme, to strengthen knowledge about and innovation in the creative sector. The objective of this particular project was to better understand changes to the architectural profession arising out of ongoing social trends and the recent financial crisis, as well as to expose opportunities for the future. The architect “as entrepreneur” has long been a largely neglected topic in research on the construction industry. Thankfully, entrepreneurship has now become an accepted concept within the architectural sector. The Royal Institute of Dutch Architects (BNA), for example, has developed many activities in this field. As a team, we are extremely proud of the enthusiasm with which our PhD students Marina Bos-de Vos and Bente Lieftink have foraged for scientific understanding amidst the forest of interesting practical examples and personal experiences in their respective areas of expertise. As a result of their efforts, we have not only been able to gather solid know-how about the creation and capture of professional, financial and use value, but also gained a good understanding of the various role structures within the construction supply chain, as well as the consolidation of changes to them. This academic design guide for the architectural firm of the future is one of the products of our research. As well as providing theoretical insights into the architectural firm itself and into project collaboration in general, we present four practical role identities that architectural firms can take on within the construction process: “initiator”, “specialist”, “product developer” and “integrator”. The board game with cards accompanying this publication can be used in a variety of ways to stimulate collective reflection about the direction you as a firm want to take with a particular project and about which revenue models and collaborative strategies are best suited to that trajectory. For each role identity, we present the most crucial professional challenges and opportunities facing the architectural firm as part of the supply chain. This should enable you to design your own role within a given project. But with that our task is complete. From here, it is up to you as a reader of this book and a player of the game to translate the lessons you learn into financially and professionally sustainable roles as an architect of the future.@en

Recent studies have shown that professionals in the built environment need new or improved business strategies to survive in increasingly dynamic and competitive environments. To gain insight into how professional businesses can be successfully reshaped, a profound understanding of their business models is necessary. So far, business model research in project-based organisations has focused on large companies that are primarily profit-oriented. Work that addresses the business challenges of small, creative service firms is extremely limited. This study aims to develop knowledge around the business models of architectural firms by focusing on their value propositions, value creation and value capture. Iterating between business model literature and empirical data from 41 semi-structured interviews with Dutch architects and clients, architectural firms’ business models were systematically examined regarding their configurations and outcomes. This resulted in an overview of key business model components, their interrelationships and accompanying challenges for architectural firms. The study contributes to theory and practice by the development of a strategic decision making framework that specifically addresses the business model challenges of small creative service firms. The framework helps practitioners to enhance their business strategies and to develop new or improved business models with increased benefits.@en