Circular Economy: Challenges and Opportunities in the Construction Sector of Kazakhstan

Beibut Torgautov; Asset Zhanabayev; Aidana Tleuken; Ali Turkyilmaz; Mohammad Mustafa; Ferhat Karaca

doi:10.3390/buildings11110501

Buildings (Oct 2021)

Circular Economy: Challenges and Opportunities in the Construction Sector of Kazakhstan

Beibut Torgautov,
Asset Zhanabayev,
Aidana Tleuken,
Ali Turkyilmaz,
Mohammad Mustafa,
Ferhat Karaca

Affiliations

Beibut Torgautov: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, 53 Kabanbay Batyr Av., Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
Asset Zhanabayev: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, 53 Kabanbay Batyr Av., Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
Aidana Tleuken: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, 53 Kabanbay Batyr Av., Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
Ali Turkyilmaz: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, 53 Kabanbay Batyr Av., Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
Mohammad Mustafa: Institute of Buildings, Energy and Material Technology, Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology, The Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway
Ferhat Karaca: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, 53 Kabanbay Batyr Av., Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11110501
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 11, no. 11
p. 501

Abstract

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The circular economy in the construction sector in emerging economies is one of the most promising concepts that aims to keep the value of the construction materials and structures as long as possible. The construction industry is rapidly developing in Kazakhstan with a yearly increase in projects. This research paper investigates the construction sector in Kazakhstan in terms of the potential application of circular economy principles by local stakeholders—clients, contractors, designers, and manufacturers. As limited research has been conducted on the circularity within the construction environment, including construction parties, this paper aims to fill this research gap. It seeks to identify the construction trends and perform a barrier and opportunity analysis to develop circular economy principles in the construction sector. As a research method, PEST is used for the study of local construction trends. At the same time, stakeholders are interviewed using semi-structured surveys organized according to the ReSOLVE framework (regenerate, share, optimize, loop, virtualize, and exchange) to identify the barriers and opportunities for circular economy in the construction sector. As an outcome of this study, the most common barriers and opportunities were associated with the economic benefit factor, as this was the main motivation for the stakeholders to save construction materials for reuse or to refuse more eco-friendly technologies. Additionally, policy recommendations for companies involved in the construction ecosystem were provided according to the assessment of found barriers and opportunities in the context of the ReSOLVE framework. This analysis has shown that for most stakeholders of the Kazakhstani construction sector, virtualization is of the highest priority; therefore, opportunities for its development are recommended. Future research could focus on the development of economically feasible solutions for the circular economy in construction with the inclusion of virtualization technologies.

Published in Buildings

ISSN: 2075-5309 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology: Building construction
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/buildings

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