A Transition to Sustainable Built Environment: A Framework for Modular Building Construction Designed for Disassembly

Ali-Gombe, Bilkisu; Tokbolat, Serik; Mckechnie, Jon

Abstract

In the quest to achieve a sustainable built environment, circular construction emerged as an innovative approach to aid towards a quick transition for the resource-intensive construction industry. The successful implementation of circular approaches requires building design for multiple reuse with effective end of life resource recovery plan. Modular construction remains an integral approach for buildings designed for multiple life cycles, and design for disassembly enables the deconstruction and reuse of components at the end of building life cycle. Through a systematic literature review, the study looks at study trends in modular construction and design for disassembly and the various sustainability targets addressed in these studies, as well as the material inputs and indicators used for specific sustainability goals (environmental, economic and social). The study reveals an increase in studies and applications over the years mostly concentrated in Europe and North America which signifies a lack of adequate studies in developing countries with higher levels of infrastructure deficit and high construction demand. Studies largely focus on energy and emission reduction, material circularity and waste reduction with few addressing cost, health and safety and other socio-economic impacts; hence, evaluation of social impacts is largely neglected in most studies. Studies mostly present the use of conventional building materials rather than more sustainable circular materials to reduce raw material inputs and emission outputs. Achieving a sustainable built environment requires the triple bottom line sustainability consideration. Hence, the study proposed a framework to evaluate modular building and design for disassembly with focus on material selection, design and construction strategies as well as end-of-life considerations to support the determination of sustainability viability of multiple lifecycle designs for buildings.

Citation

Ali-Gombe, B., Tokbolat, S., & Mckechnie, J. (2024, June). A Transition to Sustainable Built Environment: A Framework for Modular Building Construction Designed for Disassembly. Presented at 1st International Conference on Net-Zero Built Environment: Innovations in Materials, Structures, and Management Practices (Net-Zero Future 2024), Oslo, Norway

• Presentation Conference Type: Edited Proceedings
• Conference Name: 1st International Conference on Net-Zero Built Environment: Innovations in Materials, Structures, and Management Practices (Net-Zero Future 2024)
• Start Date: Jun 19, 2024
• End Date: Jun 21, 2024
• Acceptance Date: Mar 15, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jan 9, 2025
• Publication Date: 2025
• Deposit Date: Jan 23, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 28, 2025
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Series Title: Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering
• Series Number: 237
• Series ISSN: 2366-2557
• Book Title: The 1st International Conference on Net-Zero Built Environment: Innovations in Materials, Structures, and Management Practices
• ISBN: 9783031696251
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-69626-8_132
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/44078255
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-69626-8_132