The editorial
Chen, X., Pour Rahimian, F., Doan, D., and GhaffarianHoseini, A. (2026). Editorial: Circular economy and sustainable practices in the built environment. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 33(8), 6089 to 6093.
The theme
Construction is one of the largest consumers of raw materials and producers of waste in any economy. A circular economy approach asks how materials, components and buildings can be kept in use for longer, reused and recovered rather than discarded, and how design, procurement and business models must change to make that possible. It touches every stage of the building lifecycle, from material choice and design for disassembly to refurbishment and end of life.
Special issues on this theme gather research that moves the discussion from principle to practice: measuring circularity, overcoming the commercial and regulatory barriers to reuse, and using digital tools such as BIM and material passports to track what buildings contain.
Context
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management is one of the established international journals in construction management. He co-edited the special issue with Xichen Chen, Farzad Pour Rahimian and Dat Doan, a collaboration that links AUT with colleagues abroad and the wider network built through SASBE, DFBI and GDI. The editorial adds to his body of guest editorial work for Emerald journals.
Why circularity matters for New Zealand
New Zealand’s construction sector produces a large share of the country’s waste, much of it sent to landfill, and it imports a substantial proportion of its materials. Circular approaches, from designing buildings for disassembly to reusing structural components, could reduce both waste and exposure to supply disruptions. The research gathered in special issues of this kind supplies the evidence that designers, clients and regulators need to move beyond pilot projects.