Designing for Circularity: User Study of CirQA, a Circularity Quick Assessment Tool for Early-Stage Building Design
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55845/GFOP1065Keywords:
Circular Economy, Parametric Design, Quick Assessment, Lifecycle Impact Assessment, Early-Stage Building DesignAbstract
The construction sector, which is responsible for nearly 40% of emissions and almost third of all waste generated, is under increasing pressure to integrate sustainability principles, particularly in the early design stage, where key decisions influencing a building’s lifecycle are made. This paper presents a user study on a Circularity Quick Assessment (CirQA) tool, aiming at accessibility to a broad range of users, including those with varying levels of expertise. CirQA employs parametric design methods and data repositories to generate digital building models in the early design stage with the corresponding environmental impact. A user study was conducted with 16 professionals from various backgrounds to assess the tool’s usability, design, relevance and decision-making impact. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected, with qualitative data analyzed through thematic coding and SWOT analysis. Results indicated that CirQA was generally perceived as user-friendly and effective for early-stage sustainability assessments. Also, areas for refinement were identified, including improving the clarity of data presentation, enhancing the interface, and providing more detailed guidance on circularity metrics. The SWOT analysis identified strengths in the tool’s ease of use and comprehensive functionality, weaknesses in its interface usability and data interpretation, opportunities for broader integration and customization, and threats related to increasing complexity. The study concludes that CirQA holds significant potential to advance circular and life cycle-oriented building design, with future efforts focused on optimizing user experience, expanding lifecycle metrics, and ensuring regulatory adaptability to enhance informed decision-making.
References
Akbarieh, A., Jayasinghe, L. B., Waldmann, D. & Teferle, F. N. (2020). BIM-Based End-of-Lifecycle Decision Making and Digital Deconstruction: Literature Review. Sustainability 2020, Vol. 12, Page 2670, 12(7), 2670. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU12072670
Apellániz, D., Alkewitz, T. & Gengnagel, C. (2024). Visualisation of building life cycle assessment results using 3D business intelligence dashboards. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 29(7), 1303–1314. https://doi.org/10.1007/S11367-024-02309-7/FIGURES/8
Baeumer, D., Bischofberger, W. R., Lichter, H. & Zuellighoven, H. (1995). User interface prototyping – concepts, tools, and experience. Proceedings – International Conference on Software Engineering, 532–541. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSE.1996.493447
Banihashemi, S., Meskin, S., Sheikhkhoshkar, M., Mohandes, S. R., Hajirasouli, A. & LeNguyen, K. (2024). Circular economy in construction: The digital transformation perspective. Cleaner Engineering and Technology, 18. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CLET.2023.100715
Basic, S., Hollberg, A., Galimshina, A. & Habert, G. (2019). A design integrated parametric tool for real-time Life Cycle Assessment – Bombyx project. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 323(1), 012112. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/323/1/012112
Blum, N. U., Haupt, M. & Bening, C. R. (2020). Why “Circular” doesn’t always mean “Sustainable.” Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 162. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.RESCONREC.2020.105042
Borrmann, A., König, M., Koch, C. & Beetz, J. (2018). Building Information Modeling: Why? What? How? Building Information Modeling: Technology Foundations and Industry Practice, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92862-3_1
Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront – World Green Building Council. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2025, from https://worldgbc.org/article/bringing-embodied-carbon-upfront/
Caetano, I., Santos, L. & Leitão, A. (2020). Computational design in architecture: Defining parametric, generative, and algorithmic design. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 9(2), 287–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2019.12.008
Caldas, L. R., Silva, M. V., Silva, V. P., Carvalho, M. T. M. & Filho, R. D. T. (2022). How Different Tools Contribute to Climate Change Mitigation in a Circular Building Environment?—A Systematic Literature Review. Sustainability 2022, Vol. 14, Page 3759, 14(7), 3759. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU14073759
Çetin, S., Raghu, D., Honic, M., Straub, A. & Gruis, V. (2023). Data requirements and availabilities for material passports: A digitally enabled framework for improving the circularity of existing buildings. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 40, 422–437. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SPC.2023.07.011
Circular economy action plan – European Commission. (n.d.). https://doi.org/doi:10.2779/717149
Corona, B., Shen, L., Reike, D., Rosales Carreón, J. & Worrell, E. (2019). Towards sustainable development through the circular economy—A review and critical assessment on current circularity metrics. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 151, 104498. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.RESCONREC.2019.104498
De Wolf, C., Bocken, N. & Çetin, S. (2024). A Circular Built Environment in the Digital Age. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 1–286. https://www.beck-shop.de/de-wolf-etin-bocken-a-circular-built-environment-digital-age/product/36031844
De Wolf, C., Cordella, M., Dodd, N., Byers, B. & Donatello, S. (2023). Whole life cycle environmental impact assessment of buildings: Developing software tool and database support for the EU framework Level(s). Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 188, 106642. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.RESCONREC.2022.106642
Dervishaj, A. & Gudmundsson, K. (2024). From LCA to circular design: A comparative study of digital tools for the built environment. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 200, 107291. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.RESCONREC.2023.107291
DocsRoom – European Commission. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2024, from https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/39984
Freek van Eijk, Anca Turtoi, Abdulla Moustafa & Keita Hamada. (2021). (PDF) Circular buildings and infrastructure – State of play report ECESP Leadership Group on Buildings and Infrastructure 2021. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359062006_Circular_buildings_and_infrastructure_-_State_of_play_report_ECESP_Leadership_Group_on_Buildings_and_Infrastructure_2021
Gantner, J., von Both, P., Rexroth, K., Ebertshäuser, S., Horn, R., Jorgji, O., Schmid, C. & Fischer, M. (2018). Ökobilanz – Integration in den Entwurfsprozess. Bauphysik, 40(5), 286–297. https://doi.org/10.1002/bapi.201800016
Gluch, P. & Bosch-Sijtsema, P. (2016). Conceptualizing environmental expertise through the lens of institutional work. Construction Management and Economics, 34(7–8), 522–535. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2016.1177191
Grimal, L., Troussier, N. & Loreto, I. Di. (2019). Digital transformation as an opportunity for life cycle assessment. https://utt.hal.science/hal-02431651
Hollberg, A., Kiss, B., Röck, M., Soust-Verdaguer, B., Wiberg, A. H., Lasvaux, S., Galimshina, A. & Habert, G. (2021). Review of visualising LCA results in the design process of buildings. Building and Environment, 190, 107530. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BUILDENV.2020.107530
Hoosain, M. S., Paul, B. S., Raza, S. M. & Ramakrishna, S. (2020). Material Passports and Circular Economy. An Introduction to Circular Economy, 131–158. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8510-4_8
ISO 14040:2006 – Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Principles and framework. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2024, from https://www.iso.org/standard/37456.html
Khadim, N., Agliata, R., Marino, A., Thaheem, M. J. & Mollo, L. (2022). Critical review of nano and micro-level building circularity indicators and frameworks. Journal of Cleaner Production, 357, 131859. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2022.131859
Kujala, S. (2008). Effective user involvement in product development by improving the analysis of user needs. Behaviour & Information Technology, 27(6), 457–473. https://doi.org/10.1080/01449290601111051
Level(s) – European Commission. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/circular-economy/levels_en
Nielsen, J. & Landauer, T. K. (1993). Mathematical model of the finding of usability problems. Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems – Proceedings, 206–213. https://doi.org/10.1145/169059.169166
Observatory – European Commission. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2024, from https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/construction/observatory_en?prefLang=de
ÖNORM EN 15804:2022 02 15. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://www.austrian-standards.at/de/shop/onorm-en-15804-2022-02-15~p2614831
ÖNORM EN 15978:2012 10 01. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://www.austrian-standards.at/de/shop/onorm-en-15978-2012-10-01~p1963407
ÖNORM EN ISO 14044:2021 03 01. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://www.austrian-standards.at/de/shop/onorm-en-iso-14044-2021-03-01~p2568309
Pibal, S. S., Bittner, R. & Kovacic, I. (2025). A BIM-based Framework for Lifecycle, Cost, and Circularity Data Integration in Environmental Impact Assessment. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202501.2277.v1
Plociennik, C., Pourjafarian, M., Saleh, S., Hagedorn, T., do Carmo Precci Lopes, A., Vogelgesang, M., Baehr, J., Kellerer, B., Jansen, M., Berg, H., Ruskowski, M., Schebek, L. & Ciroth, A. (2022). Requirements for a Digital Product Passport to Boost the Circular Economy. Lecture Notes in Informatics (LNI), Proceedings – Series of the Gesellschaft Fur Informatik (GI), P-326, 1485–1494. https://doi.org/10.18420/INF2022_127
Płoszaj-Mazurek, M., Ryńska, E. & Grochulska-Salak, M. (2020). Methods to Optimize Carbon Footprint of Buildings in Regenerative Architectural Design with the Use of Machine Learning, Convolutional Neural Network, and Parametric Design. Energies 2020, Vol. 13, Page 5289, 13(20), 5289. https://doi.org/10.3390/EN13205289
Programme, U. N. E. & Construction, G. A. for B. and. (2024). Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction – Beyond foundations: Mainstreaming sustainable solutions to cut emissions from the buildings sector. https://wedocs.unep.org/xmlui/handle/20.500.11822/45095
Saidani, M. & Kim, H. (2022). Nexus Between Life Cycle Assessment, Circularity, and Sustainability Indicators—Part I: a Review. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 2(3), 1143–1156. https://doi.org/10.1007/S43615-022-00159-9
Savoia, A. (2011). Pretotype It: Make sure you are building the right it before you build it right.
Schiller, G. & Gruhler, K. (2024). Strengthening Circular Urbanization Based on Regional Material Cadastres (pp. 1278–1286). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1972-3_141
Soust-Verdaguer, B., Llatas, C. & García-Martínez, A. (2017). Critical review of bim-based LCA method to buildings. Energy and Buildings, 136, 110–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ENBUILD.2016.12.009
Study on circular economy principles for buildings’ design: Final Report | European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2024, from https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/en/knowledge/study-circular-economy-principles-buildings-design-final-report
The digital design sweet spot. Retrieved April 23, 2025, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/digital-design-sweet-spot-morrisandcompany-dtwee/
The Macleamy Curve (2004) | Download Scientific Diagram. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2025, from https://www.researchgate.net/Figure/The-Macleamy-Curve-2004_fig3_266054953
Trubina, N., Leindecker, G., Askar, R., Karanafti, A., Gómez-Gil, M., Blázquez, T., Güngör, B. & Bragança, L. (2024). Digital Technologies and Material Passports for Circularity in Buildings: An In-Depth Analysis of Current Practices and Emerging Trends. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, 489 LNCE, 690–699. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-57800-7_64
Tsay, Y. S., Yeh, Y. C. & Jheng, H. Y. (2023). Study of the tools used for early-stage carbon footprint in building design. E-Prime – Advances in Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Energy, 4. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PRIME.2023.100128
Union, P. O. of the E. (2022). EEA 2021 : the year in brief. https://doi.org/10.2800/01564
Union, P. O. of the E. (2024). EU Construction & Demolition Waste Management Protocol including guidelines for pre-demolition and pre-renovation audits of construction works : updated edition 2024. https://doi.org/10.2873/77980
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
How to Cite
