Building circular futures : How actors, competences and collaboration drive change in construction
Vergani, Francesca LU
(2026)
- Abstract
- The construction sector plays a decisive role in shaping cities and economies, accounting for over one-third of global resource consumption, waste generation and emissions. In response, the circular economy has emerged as a systemic alternative to the prevailing linear “take-make-dispose” model, promoting strategies such as reuse, refurbishment and design for disassembly to retain material value and reduce resource extraction. Despite growing policy attention, technological development and academic interest, the implementation of circular strategies and practices in construction remains limited. This gap suggests that barriers extend beyond technical and economic constraints, pointing instead toward knowledge-related, collaborative and... (More)
- The construction sector plays a decisive role in shaping cities and economies, accounting for over one-third of global resource consumption, waste generation and emissions. In response, the circular economy has emerged as a systemic alternative to the prevailing linear “take-make-dispose” model, promoting strategies such as reuse, refurbishment and design for disassembly to retain material value and reduce resource extraction. Despite growing policy attention, technological development and academic interest, the implementation of circular strategies and practices in construction remains limited. This gap suggests that barriers extend beyond technical and economic constraints, pointing instead toward knowledge-related, collaborative and institutional challenges.
This dissertation examines how evolving roles and responsibilities, competences and collaborative practices influence the transition to circular construction. By focusing on the interdependencies between actors, competencies and governance arrangements such as public procurement, the study investigates how circularity becomes embedded in, or remains marginal to, established construction routines. The research integrates multiple theoretical perspectives, combining transition theory, ecosystem thinking, knowledge-based views and literature on collaboration to conceptualise circular construction as a multi-actor, systemic transformation. Adopting a critical realist stance, the dissertation employs an abductive and pluralistic approach, combining qualitative case studies, interviews, document analysis, quantitative elements and future scenario analysis across five interrelated studies.
The findings demonstrate that: (i) responsibilities are redistributed across actors and project phases; (ii) successful circular implementation depends on shared, practice-oriented competencies, interdisciplinary coordination and experiential learning; (iii) collaboration ‒ both vertical across supply chains and horizontal between municipalities and peer organisations ‒ emerges as a decisive mechanism for learning, trust-building and risk distribution. The dissertation concludes that circular construction evolves through the progressive alignment of roles, competence development, collaborative routines and institutional frameworks such as public procurement. The future scenario-based framework used to discuss the results shows that the sector is currently in an intermediate phase characterised by collaborative experimentation and partial institutional embedding.
Future progress depends on whether responsibility redistribution, knowledge codification and collaborative governance become structurally aligned. The main contribution of this research lies in reframing circular construction as a coordination challenge embedded in a fragmented, project-based sector. By offering a systemic explanation of circular transition, the dissertation advances understanding of how circularity can move beyond isolated initiatives toward durable institutionalisation. It further provides practical insights for policymakers, public authorities, businesses and educational institutions seeking to accelerate circular construction through aligned governance, competence development and collaborative infrastructures.
(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/23c7ccf3-43d7-4645-8250-54fd63824ae3
- author
- Vergani, Francesca
LU
- supervisor
-
- Anne Landin LU
- Rikard Sundling LU
- Carlos Martinez LU
- opponent
-
- Prof. Chan, Paul, TU Delft, The Netherlands.
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-04
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Circular construction, Collaboration
- pages
- 119 pages
- publisher
- Department of Building and Environmental Technology, Lund University
- defense location
- Lecture Hall A:C, Building A, Klas Anshelms väg 16, Faculty of Engineering LTH, Lund University, Lund. The dissertation will be live streamed, but part of the premises is to be excluded from the live stream. Zoom: https://lu-se.zoom.us/j/61377890008
- defense date
- 2026-05-08 10:00:00
- ISSN
- 1651-0380
- ISBN
- 91-85257-32-X
- 978-91-85257-32-4
- project
- Building circular futures.
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 23c7ccf3-43d7-4645-8250-54fd63824ae3
- date added to LUP
- 2026-04-09 12:17:38
- date last changed
- 2026-04-14 14:38:20
@phdthesis{23c7ccf3-43d7-4645-8250-54fd63824ae3,
abstract = {{The construction sector plays a decisive role in shaping cities and economies, accounting for over one-third of global resource consumption, waste generation and emissions. In response, the circular economy has emerged as a systemic alternative to the prevailing linear “take-make-dispose” model, promoting strategies such as reuse, refurbishment and design for disassembly to retain material value and reduce resource extraction. Despite growing policy attention, technological development and academic interest, the implementation of circular strategies and practices in construction remains limited. This gap suggests that barriers extend beyond technical and economic constraints, pointing instead toward knowledge-related, collaborative and institutional challenges. <br/>This dissertation examines how evolving roles and responsibilities, competences and collaborative practices influence the transition to circular construction. By focusing on the interdependencies between actors, competencies and governance arrangements such as public procurement, the study investigates how circularity becomes embedded in, or remains marginal to, established construction routines. The research integrates multiple theoretical perspectives, combining transition theory, ecosystem thinking, knowledge-based views and literature on collaboration to conceptualise circular construction as a multi-actor, systemic transformation. Adopting a critical realist stance, the dissertation employs an abductive and pluralistic approach, combining qualitative case studies, interviews, document analysis, quantitative elements and future scenario analysis across five interrelated studies. <br/>The findings demonstrate that: (i) responsibilities are redistributed across actors and project phases; (ii) successful circular implementation depends on shared, practice-oriented competencies, interdisciplinary coordination and experiential learning; (iii) collaboration ‒ both vertical across supply chains and horizontal between municipalities and peer organisations ‒ emerges as a decisive mechanism for learning, trust-building and risk distribution. The dissertation concludes that circular construction evolves through the progressive alignment of roles, competence development, collaborative routines and institutional frameworks such as public procurement. The future scenario-based framework used to discuss the results shows that the sector is currently in an intermediate phase characterised by collaborative experimentation and partial institutional embedding. <br/>Future progress depends on whether responsibility redistribution, knowledge codification and collaborative governance become structurally aligned. The main contribution of this research lies in reframing circular construction as a coordination challenge embedded in a fragmented, project-based sector. By offering a systemic explanation of circular transition, the dissertation advances understanding of how circularity can move beyond isolated initiatives toward durable institutionalisation. It further provides practical insights for policymakers, public authorities, businesses and educational institutions seeking to accelerate circular construction through aligned governance, competence development and collaborative infrastructures.<br/>}},
author = {{Vergani, Francesca}},
isbn = {{91-85257-32-X}},
issn = {{1651-0380}},
keywords = {{Circular construction; Collaboration}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Department of Building and Environmental Technology, Lund University}},
school = {{Lund University}},
title = {{Building circular futures : How actors, competences and collaboration drive change in construction}},
year = {{2026}},
}