The construction industry faces various sustainability challenges, and modern methods of construction (MMC) have been promoted as an effective alternative to mitigate environmental impact and improve productivity. However, to gain a thorough understanding of the benefits, there is a need for more objective data. To address this, the present study employs a simplified life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to evaluate a set of environmental and efficiency metrics in a case study. The study aims to demonstrate the benefits of using an MMC known as the “VAP system” by comparing it with its conventional counterpart built with reinforced masonry. Adopting the MMC resulted in significant reductions in embodied carbon (EC) and embodied energy (EE) related to materials, as well as a reduction in global warming potential (GWP), cumulative energy demand (CED), and construction waste. Additionally, it shortened delivery times and increased labor productivity. Furthermore, when both local and European parameters were considered in the evaluation, the percentage of materials circularity (PMC) was higher. The study concludes that the adoption of the MMC leads to higher sustainability by reducing carbon emissions, minimizing construction waste, and conserving resources. This research has significant implications for promoting the adoption of MMC globally, leading to more sustainable and efficient construction practices.

Improving resource efficiency by reducing waste and process inefficiencies across the building life cycle is essential for advancing sustainability in the built environment. Circular and industrialized construction offer complementary strategies to meet this challenge. While Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) enhances constructability, standardization, and productivity in early project phases, Design for Disassembly (DfD) facilitates material recovery and adaptability at end-of-life. Despite their synergies, their integrated application remains underexplored. This study proposes a unified framework—Design for Manufacturing, Assembly, and Disassembly (DfMAD)—to align value creation and value retention strategies across the life cycle. A systematic literature review of 102 articles, following PRISMA guidelines, combined bibliometric and thematic analysis to identify key principles, benefits, barriers, and enablers of DfMA and DfD. Cross-mapping these findings revealed conceptual overlaps and distinctions and informed the synthesis of core DfMAD attributes. The resulting framework offers a life cycle-oriented approach that supports product-based delivery, traceability, and circular design strategies. By promoting shared logic across disciplines and project phases, DfMAD provides a foundation for operationalizing circularity in industrialized construction, contributing both theoretical and practical guidance for advancing resource-efficient, adaptable, and disassemblable building systems.

The increasing environmental impacts caused by the high demand for concrete production have underscored the need for sustainable alternatives in the design of eco-concrete mixtures. Additionally, important industries, such as construction and mining, generate massive amounts of waste/by-products that could be repurposed towards sustainability. Consequently, this study investigates the valorization of copper slag (CS), a by-product of the mining industry as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM), and concrete as recycled coarse aggregate (RCA), derived from construction and demolition waste, as partial substitutes for Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and natural coarse aggregate (NCA), respectively. Eco-concrete mixtures were designed with varying replacement levels: 15% for CS, and 0%, 20%, 50%, and 100% for RCA. The mechanical properties (compressive, indirect tensile, and flexural strengths), permeability characteristics (porosity and capillary suction), and environmental impacts (carbon footprint) of these mixtures were evaluated. The results showed that the use of CS and of increasing proportions of RCA led to a monotonic loss in each of the concretes’ mechanical strength properties at 7, 28 and 90 days of curing. However, at extended ages (180 days of curing), the concrete mixtures with CS and only NCA presented an average compressive strength 1.2% higher than that of the reference concrete (mixture with only OPC and natural aggregate). Additionally, the concrete mixture with CS and 20% RCA achieved 3.2% and 5.8% higher average values than the reference concrete in terms of its indirect tensile strength and flexural strength, respectively. Finally, a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis was implemented, whose results showed that the greatest effect on reducing the carbon emission impacts occurred due to the substitution of OPC with CS, which confirmed that the adequate technical performances of some of the concrete mixtures developed in this study are positively complemented with reduced environmental impacts. Moreover, this study presents a viable approach to minimizing resource consumption and waste generation, contributing to the advancement of eco-friendly construction materials, which aligns with the sustainable development goals.