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Actors in transition : Roles and responsibilities in circular construction practices

Vergani, Francesca LU orcid ; Lisco, Margherita LU orcid and Sundling, Rikard LU (2026) World Sustainable Built Environment Conference 2026 - Melbourne
Abstract
Over the past decade, circular strategies have been gaining momentum
in the construction sector in an effort to reduce resource consumption, waste
generation and environmental impacts. This transition requires not only changes
in the construction process but also transformations in the constellation of actors
involved. Previous research has mapped actors in circular construction and
emphasised the importance of early involvement but has not captured how these
roles evolve over time. This study utilises a longitudinal perspective to examine if
and how the roles and responsibilities of actors in circular construction projects
have changed over the last five years. Between 2021 and 2022, 49... (More)
Over the past decade, circular strategies have been gaining momentum
in the construction sector in an effort to reduce resource consumption, waste
generation and environmental impacts. This transition requires not only changes
in the construction process but also transformations in the constellation of actors
involved. Previous research has mapped actors in circular construction and
emphasised the importance of early involvement but has not captured how these
roles evolve over time. This study utilises a longitudinal perspective to examine if
and how the roles and responsibilities of actors in circular construction projects
have changed over the last five years. Between 2021 and 2022, 49 practitioners
representing different roles in the construction process were interviewed about
their involvement in projects with circular strategies. In 2025, a questionnaire was
sent out to the same practitioners, allowing for a direct comparison of roles and
responsibilities between these two points. The analysis focuses on changes in
responsibility, role content, organisational support and the use of tools and
methods. The findings indicate a high degree of continuity in professional roles
alongside incremental change. Responsibilities related to circular construction
have generally increased, particularly among decision-making and strategic roles,
while operational roles continue to focus on material-level implementation. New
and specialised actors, such as digital platform providers and reuse-oriented
intermediaries, complement rather than replace traditional actors, and do so in
limited ways. Increased responsibility is not always matched by formal mandates
or organisational support, leading to uneven and often informally negotiated role
adaptations. Overall, the results show that the transition to circular construction
is characterised by gradual role evolution and growing interdependencies among
actors, rather than uniform or transformative change. This study contributes to
research on actor dynamics in circular construction and provides insights for
practitioners navigating evolving responsibilities in circular projects. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to conference
publication status
epub
subject
conference name
World Sustainable Built Environment Conference 2026 - Melbourne
conference location
Melbourne, Australia
conference dates
2026-06-10 - 2026-06-12
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e5bde269-484b-44cc-aaec-6159bae346d2
date added to LUP
2026-09-15 14:03:47
date last changed
2026-09-17 16:44:11
@misc{e5bde269-484b-44cc-aaec-6159bae346d2,
  abstract     = {{Over the past decade, circular strategies have been gaining momentum <br/>in the construction sector in an effort to reduce resource consumption, waste <br/>generation and environmental impacts. This transition requires not only changes <br/>in the construction process but also transformations in the constellation of actors <br/>involved. Previous research has mapped actors in circular construction and <br/>emphasised the importance of early involvement but has not captured how these <br/>roles evolve over time. This study utilises a longitudinal perspective to examine if <br/>and how the roles and responsibilities of actors in circular construction projects <br/>have changed over the last five years. Between 2021 and 2022, 49 practitioners <br/>representing different roles in the construction process were interviewed about <br/>their involvement in projects with circular strategies. In 2025, a questionnaire was <br/>sent out to the same practitioners, allowing for a direct comparison of roles and <br/>responsibilities between these two points. The analysis focuses on changes in <br/>responsibility, role content, organisational support and the use of tools and <br/>methods. The findings indicate a high degree of continuity in professional roles <br/>alongside incremental change. Responsibilities related to circular construction <br/>have generally increased, particularly among decision-making and strategic roles, <br/>while operational roles continue to focus on material-level implementation. New <br/>and specialised actors, such as digital platform providers and reuse-oriented <br/>intermediaries, complement rather than replace traditional actors, and do so in <br/>limited ways. Increased responsibility is not always matched by formal mandates <br/>or organisational support, leading to uneven and often informally negotiated role <br/>adaptations. Overall, the results show that the transition to circular construction <br/>is characterised by gradual role evolution and growing interdependencies among <br/>actors, rather than uniform or transformative change. This study contributes to <br/>research on actor dynamics in circular construction and provides insights for <br/>practitioners navigating evolving responsibilities in circular projects.}},
  author       = {{Vergani, Francesca and Lisco, Margherita and Sundling, Rikard}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  title        = {{Actors in transition : Roles and responsibilities in circular construction practices}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}