IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i17p7580-d1730700.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Recent Research on Circular Architecture: A Literature Review of 2021–2024 on Circular Strategies in the Built Environment

Author

Listed:
  • Dominik Pierzchlewicz

    (Doctoral School, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
    Faculty of Architecture, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland)

  • Apolonia Woźniak

    (Doctoral School, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
    Faculty of Architecture, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland)

  • Barbara Widera

    (Faculty of Architecture, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland)

Abstract

The built environment represents a significant portion of global resource consumption and waste generation, underscoring the pressing necessity for innovative circular economy approaches in architecture. This paper presents the findings of a systematic literature review on six critical areas: circular economy, circularity indicators, design for adaptability, design for disassembly, life cycle assessment, and material and component reuse. The analysis revealed the emergent aspects of circular economy practices in architecture, emphasizing the preeminence of life cycle assessment (LCA) and material reuse. However, the authors observe a relative scarcity of focus on design-for-adaptability and circularity indicators, highlighting a gap to be addressed. The findings underline the need for unified assessment tools, supportive regulations, and collaborative frameworks that can enable the full potential of circular architecture. By harnessing innovative reuse strategies from deconstruction projects, the circular economy offers a transformative pathway towards reducing emissions and fostering regenerative practices that can enhance material and component recovery and significantly contribute to decarbonization and the realization of sustainable development goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Dominik Pierzchlewicz & Apolonia Woźniak & Barbara Widera, 2025. "Recent Research on Circular Architecture: A Literature Review of 2021–2024 on Circular Strategies in the Built Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-39, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:17:p:7580-:d:1730700
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/17/7580/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/17/7580/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:17:p:7580-:d:1730700. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.