Strategic Concepts, Challenges, and Life-cycle Assessment for Sustainable Construction and Building Circularity in the real Estate Sector

The real estate sector is resource–intensive, and accounts for 40% of worldwide CO2 emissions, with 70% contribution from developmental activities and 30% from construction, forcing major changes to fulfill climate targets. The research focuses on the possibility of implementing circular economy (CE) concepts in the field of real estate development, as well as strategies to be incorporated. Annually, building construction demands 40% of raw materials, 25% virgin wood, 40% of energy, and 16% of water worldwide. Unlike the outmoded linear economy, the concept of CE insists on resource efficiency throughout a building’s life cycle, from design and manufacture to consumption, management of waste, and lessening natural capital loss and environmental pollution. This research applies an inclusive approach, including literature reviews and case studies, to examine the challenges and effective strategies for CE adoption in the Real Estate sector. The study outlines numerous CE techniques for real estate, including design, planning, building, operation, maintenance, and end-of-life. The study also focuses on the Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) as a tool to pinpoint environmental impact throughout the building’s Lifespan. Architects, Project Developers, Contractors, etc., can make decisions on the principles of design and alternatives for end-of-life that lessen the ecological impact. By reviving the environment throughout construction and operations, the CE approach is being used to improve financial performance for real estate investors and construction customers. This article explores the CE as a paradigm for reducing this effect and increasing the efficiency of resources in real estate developments. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.