Design for Deconstruction and Disassembly: Barriers, Opportunities, and Practices in Developing Economies of Central Asia

Abstract

Construction waste management is becoming an emerging issue in light of the massive increase in construction activities in the developing economies as part of their rapid economic growth. The gradual tightening of building regulations towards energy consumption creates the need to decrease the building materials and components during construction, and one of the proposed ways to achieve it is to reuse. The building components can be initially designed for disassembly (DfD) to improve and optimize the process, thus proposing significant benefits to the circular economy in all three sustainability pillars (economic, social, and environmental). Nevertheless, current practices in developing countries of Central Asia show that lifecycle analysis of buildings’ end-of-life influence is not a well-practiced activity. This paper investigates the barriers, opportunities, and current practices of deconstruction and disassembly in one of the fast-developing Central Asian countries based on the literature review and stakeholder opinions. Conducting relevant PESTEL analysis, this research also proposes practical strategies, methods, and recommendations for the construction industry to develop circular economy projects and improve disassembly and deconstruction analytics.