The building sector is a major contributor to global resource consumption and waste generation. The circular economy (CE) concept offers a promising alternative to the traditional linear economy by promoting the reuse, remanufacture, repair, and recycling of materials and products. However, the adoption of CE in the building sector faces several barriers. This paper presents a systematic literature review utilising the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach, focusing on the barriers and enablers influencing the adoption of the CE concept in the building sector. Drawing from an analysis of numerous papers published between 2008 and 2023, we identified a high number of barriers and enablers that delay the integration of CE. The barriers were categorised into six categories: awareness, technical, economic and market, implementation, support/promotion, and social. The paper also discusses the interdependence of the identified barriers, using a co-occurrence matrix. The study findings indicate lack of CE regulations, fragment supply chain, and high upfront investment cost as major barriers to the implementation of CE in the building sector. Based on the study results, stringent governance and legislation, financial incentives, and the development of technology and innovation for circular building tools are critical factors for the successful implementation of CE principles. The results of this study provide a comprehensive overview of the feasibility to CE adoption in the building sector, which could also help to develop strategies to accelerate the transition to an integrated CE.

The building industry is one of the largest consumers of materials resources and significant contributors to global waste. Applying core principles of circular economy (CE) could significantly help the environment by reducing waste and decreasing the life cycle cost of buildings. Several strategies to implement the concept of CE in buildings include design for deconstruction, adaptability, and flexibility. However, implementing these design strategies could face constraints. In this study, we identified 22 barriers related to the adoption of CE in buildings, as reported in the literature. We discussed the role of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in overcoming those barriers. This paper demonstrates how BIM can facilitate the implementation of CE principles while providing critical insights into the life cycle costs of circular buildings. We identified 14 ways to use BIM to foster the implementation of a circular economy approach. To achieve these objectives, we have undertaken a thorough review of recent publications that explore CE design strategies, Life Cycle Costing in the circular construction of buildings, and BIM developments in the building industry. This literature review is based on 88 articles covering BIM’s role in enhancing the management of a building’s end-of-life while reducing the life cycle cost in the circular construction of buildings.

The adoption of circular economy (CE) holds significant potential to mitigate the challenges posed by the conventional linear economic model. The building sector in Saudi Arabia continues experiencing rapid growth, often marked by a consistent annual rise in the number of projects. The incorporation of CE principles into this expansion presents opportunities to optimize resource utilization, minimize waste generation, and enhance overall environmental sustainability. This study explores the current levels of awareness, perception, and implementation of CE principles among local building sector stakeholders and assesses the potential for CE expansion in the region. Additionally, it seeks to rank the identified barriers and enablers while exploring the interconnected relationships between such barriers. A literature review was conducted to explore the CE barriers and enablers. This was followed by an online survey which was conducted amongst 139 respondents from diverse stakeholder groups. A relative importance index (RII) was employed to rank the barriers and enablers, and the findings were subjected to statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The outcomes of this study highlight a significant lack of awareness regarding CE principles among stakeholders, with a very low implementation rate. To break this inertia and encourage the adoption of CE practices, this study suggests the need for CE- supportive policy and legislation, and the provision of financial incentives.

The need for embedding sustainability in construction development contributed to the introduction of Building information Modelling (BIM) to be adopted into the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) process. Through BIM, project information used during design can be shared to estimate the project’s end of life costs. LCC enables to assess the overall cost of an asset (building) through its life cycle via functionalities including the original investment costs, maintenance expenses, operating expenses, and the remaining value of the asset at the end of its life. The objective of this paper is to discuss the merging of BIM into LCC through four prevalent aspects; methodology, design software used, benefits, and challenges. A total of 20 studies were reviewed upon filtering process using PRISMA method. These studies discussed at least one of the aspects mentioned and contributed to the information regarding BIM and LCC. This paper thus aims to expanding studies on BIM adoption on LCC through the collected information sourced from peer-reviewed publications.

The implementation of a circular economy (CE) in the construction sector faces several challenges that hinder its progress. Research on the awareness, key enablers, and potential benefits of CE in Saudi Arabia’s construction of mega-projects that could contribute and promote a successful transition is still at its early stages and remains limited. This study delves into CE awareness and understanding, identifying the key enablers that could support its successful adoption in Saudi Arabian mega-projects and the potential benefits associated with it. To achieve this, a comprehensive literature review was conducted, followed by 18 semi-structured interviews across three case studies, which involved the main stakeholders in building, urban development, and infrastructure projects. The findings, which are thematically analysed, revealed that CE awareness mostly focuses on reuse, recycle, and waste reduction. A significant gap in the knowledge of circularity throughout projects’ lifecycles has been identified. As such, this study concludes that the key enablers for CE include establishing regulatory frameworks, enhancing professionals’ awareness and education, promoting the use of advanced technology, ensuring a mature market, and supporting CE initiatives. Moreover, the potential environmental and socio-economic benefits of CE, such as cost reduction, environmental impact reduction, and better-improved quality of life are crucial for encouraging a wider implementation of CE in the construction of mega-projects in Saudi Arabia.

The construction sector has been subjected to scrutiny due to its propensity for waste generation and the extensive utilisation of finite natural resources. In response to these concerns, a transition towards a novel conceptual framework known as circular economy (CE) has been advocated. Nevertheless, the integration of CE principles within the construction domain encounters numerous impediments to its advancement. Despite scholarly recognition of these challenges, scant research has been devoted to elucidating the intricacies associated with the planning and execution of large-scale projects, particularly within developing nations such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This paper intends to fill this gap through the identification and ranking of those barriers encountered when trying to implement CE during construction in KSA. To this end, a comprehensive literature review was completed, alongside a survey conducted amongst 239 participants involved in three mega-projects. A statistical analysis of the data collected was carried out based on the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Following this, a relative importance index (RII) was established to rank 24 barriers categorised as major within the sample. The findings revealed the lack of regulation within the construction sector, the lack of education and training, little awareness and guidance on the subject, and the absence of an incentives policy as primary barriers to adopting CE in KSA. The present study endeavours to enhance the comprehension regarding the principles of circular economy (CE) and the attendant challenges encountered during its implementation. The overarching objective is to provide insights that can inform decision-making processes, thereby facilitating the development of robust mitigation strategies and the adoption of best practices.