Design for Disassembly (DfD) applications in the United States: gaps and drivers towards a circular industrialized construction economy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55845/HLGY8054Keywords:
Design for Disassembly, Design for Adaptability, Circular Economy, Circular Construction, Waste ReductionAbstract
Growing awareness of the construction industry’s substantial environmental impacts has driven increasing interest in circular and sustainable building practices. This paper presents a literature and industry scoping review of the U.S. construction sector to identify emerging trends in sustainable and circular design, with a particular focus on Design for Disassembly (DfD). DfD is defined here as the intentional design of buildings and assemblies to enable efficient modification, repair, and reuse of components at the end of their service life. Given the limited peer-reviewed research on DfD in the U.S., the review draws on a broad range of sources, including market analyses, case study reports, and governmental and corporate publications, to map relevant legislation, stakeholder engagement, and evolving industry practices. The synthesis examines stakeholder roles throughout the design process, identifies construction systems, materials, and tools that facilitate DfD, and evaluates their potential to enable material and component reuse at scale.
Findings reveal significant barriers to mainstreaming DfD, including the absence of standardized material specifications for reuse, inadequate infrastructure such as storage capacity and regrading systems, and misalignment between economic incentives and legislative frameworks. At the same time, emerging initiatives in policy development, material innovation, and collaborative procurement models demonstrate opportunities for scaling DfD practices.
By consolidating knowledge from both industry and academic perspectives, this paper provides a structured overview of current capabilities and constraints, offering a foundation for advancing DfD as a core strategy in transitioning the U.S. construction industry toward a more circular and resource-efficient future.
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