In addressing the transition towards Net Zero by 2050, it is imperative to acknowledge the construction industry's pivotal shift in perspective: sustainability must transition from being a 'maybe' to a 'must' (Hu, 2019). This research delves into the Dutch construction sector's journey in making this critical transition. The Netherlands, committed to becoming fully circular and achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050, faces a significant challenge in the widespread adoption of Low Impact Materials (LIMs). Despite various government initiatives and pilot projects aimed at fostering sustainable construction, the industry remains hesitant to fully embrace LIMs due to concerns over durability, commercial viability, and established practices...

Purpose:
This research aims to investigate how knowledge-sharing can assist architects in managing ongoing and future transitions amid a multitude of external and internal transitions, including shifts in economy, politics, society, as well as emergent demands for sustainability and technological advancements. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study will be conducted through empirical research involving a detailed case study of a Dutch architectural firm. It will explore the firm’s inter-, intra-organizational and individual dimensions using a combination of observations and interviews. The ultimate goal is to develop effective knowledge-sharing tactics that enable architects to adapt to and cope with the industry’s transitions.
Findings:
The proposed framework is based on the theoretical and empirical research and suggests an alternative path related to a transitional approach suitable for architectural offices, in contrast to traditional (top-down) and expansive learning (bottom-up) methods of organizational learning. The research also contributes to understanding the transitional triggers, along with the obstacles and opportunities faced along the way.
Practical Implications:
The findings emphasize the importance of developing knowledge-sharing tactics that are adaptable to the changing needs of the architecture industry. These tactics are intended to aid architects, project managers, and process managers in navigating through transitional changes effectively, fostering an interconnected environment among stakeholders in the construction industry.
Originality/Value:
The research adds academic value by bridging the concepts of knowledge-sharing and transitions and examines the application of knowledge-sharing tactics in the context of architectural practices. It introduces a novel framework — a 3-iteration model based on 'thinking- doing-saying' actions, which includes two steps per action and forms the following
sequence: intuition, intention, initiation, innovation, insight, and integration. This framework benefits the interconnection of stakeholders in the construction industry, particularly architects, project and process managers, and potentially entrepreneurs in creative industries.

Recently, there has been a concern about the lack of information transfer of knowledge we learn from experimental projects to practice making the transition to sustainable cities possible. Previous studies have focused on what we learn from experimental projects. However, we know little about how to implement the lessons learned in business-as-usual management practices to catalyze sustainable urban transitions in the construction sector. This research investigates how management practices can learn from experimental projects to transform business-as-usual. The research is conducted in three parts: 1) the theoretical research, covering a theoretic review of concepts related to the learning-to-transforming dynamics; 2) empirical research, covering three nested case studies on urban area developments via semi-structured interviews and 3) syntheses, bringing all findings together in an overarching strategy on how to transform business-as-usual in organizations. It can be concluded that management practices learn inner-organizationally where learning is the process that comes before transforming. Whether learning from experiments results in transforming current ways of working depends on the learning intent and the capacity to change. With a high capacity to change, the opportunity to learn and transform as an organization significantly increases.

In the past the main focus within the world of real estate was on energy performance; a lot of high quality insulation, many solar panels and a super heat pump make sure the BENG-requirements are met. However since we are achieving the BENG more and more easily nowadays, another aspect is becoming increasingly important: the environmental performance. From 2025 residential buildings have to meet an MPG-value of 0.5 €/m2.year, which is expected to be definitely doable for most of them, except for apartment buildings. In the near future the designs of apartment buildings need to be adjusted to decrease the environmental effects caused by the materials during their whole lifecycle. This contains the replacement of familiar traditional materials like concrete for innovative biobased materials for example. Besides, these materials should no longer be demolished after 75 years, but be constructed demountable to make sure they can have a second life. Furthermore form factors will play an important role in this process; lower floor heights, bigger GFA’s and more efficiently shaped footprints are needed to receive the required environmental permit in the future. This report is about the feasibility of apartment buildings meeting an MPG-value of 0.5 €/m2.year and the consequences that go with the improvement strategies that are needed.

This thesis investigates the role of external stakeholder management in fostering resilience within infra-structure projects, focusing on the complexities arising from interactions between stakeholders and pro-ject organizations. The research problem centres on how different stakeholder management strategies affect project resilience, especially in challenging environments.

To address this problem, a qualitative single-case study methodology was used, examining the "Tunel Diamante" project in Acapulco, Mexico. This approach allowed for an in-depth exploration of 26 events involving external stakeholders, such as government entities and landowners, to determine how their influence strategies and the project’s responses affect project resilience.

From the analysis, the thesis identified three primary traditional influence strategies employed by ex-ternal stakeholders: 'progress obstruction,' 'protest,' and 'demand for compromise.' Additionally, it in-troduced two innovative categories: 'collateral events' and 'proactive mitigation.' These latter strategies indicate a broader and more nuanced understanding of stakeholder influence.

The project adopted four response strategies: resourcefulness, dialogue and negotiation, coercive nego-tiation, and ignoring. These influenced the type of resilience, from absorptive to adaptive and trans-formative. Resourcefulness, characterised by adaptability, was linked to all types of resilience, while dia-logue and negotiation generally led to absorptive resilience. Coercive negotiation had mixed results, raising ethical concerns.

The findings suggest that stakeholder management strategies can significantly impact project resilience but may involve trade-offs and ethical considerations. This thesis contributes to the discourse on resili-ence in project management and offers practical insights into how external stakeholder management strategies shape resilience. It concludes that proactive and ethical stakeholder management is crucial for achieving sustainable project resilience, emphasising the importance of engaging stakeholders early and addressing their concerns constructively.

This study examines how citizen engagement strategies can facilitate more inclusive participation for enhancing liveability in urban area development. With growing demands for citizen involvement in decision-making processes, particularly in light of the new Environment and Planning Act, developers often face challenges such as increased objections, unrealistic expectations, and potential delays. This study aims to bridge the gap between theoretical research on citizen participation and practical challenges of engagement in urban development. It examines two case studies: the Defensie-eiland project in Woerden and the Piekstraat development in Rotterdam. The Defensie-eiland project has already implemented citizen engagement strategies during its transformation from a former military site into a mixed-use neighbourhood. The Piekstraat project, on the other hand, is an ongoing development aiming to revitalize a historic dockland area. The research uses a mixed-methods approach, including exploratory interviews, documentation analysis, in-depth stakeholder interviews and a validating citizen survey. The findings aim to contribute to the academic discourse on sustainable urban development by highlighting the importance of citizen participation in shaping liveable and inclusive neighbourhoods. The thesis concludes with recommendations for practitioners on how to implement the proposed strategies effectively, highlighting the need for context-specific approaches, transparent communication, and the use of hybrid participation models. Digital tools show the capacity to engage traditionally underrepresented groups more effectively. The plan's success hinges on a team with strong commitment and a clear objective.

This study looks into the variables of stakeholder engagement and the implementation of R-strategies in new housing developments with the goal of identifying motives, difficulties, and opportunities. The study promotes sustainable urbanisation by providing stakeholders with ways to improve circular innovation in housing development and fill knowledge gaps regarding stakeholder engagement in the research field of circular economy. This study employs qualitative analytical techniques, including thematic analysis and software coding, to extract structured insights from interviews with stakeholders in new social housing developments. The methodology centred on identifying common themes and trends in the data and ensuring thorough coverage of all stakeholder views. This study investigates stakeholder interaction during the conceptualization stage of a project, with an emphasis on the application of R-ladder principles. It highlights constructors as critical in enabling collaboration among varied stakeholders, including project developers, environmental consultants, architects, contractors, and municipalities, in order to achieve sustainability goals and manage regulatory difficulties. Social Network Analysis (SNA) gives useful insights into stakeholder interactions, despite limits in capturing human relationships and subjectivity in data collection. Efforts to mitigate biases, such as using the snowball sampling method, address issues like potential sampling bias and limited generalizability. Moving forward, this study proposes stronger stakeholder engagement frameworks and governance structures to increase the adoption of circular economy principles in the built environment while addressing issues like financial limits and regulatory ambiguity.

According to the United Nations the Poles are melting, rising sea temperatures are killing ocean life, the acidity of sea water is rising and on land forests are burning (United Nations, 2019). This together with industrialization, increased urbanization, increased population growth and unsustainable consumption patterns this has put a strain resources (Ari & Yikmaz, 2020). Circular economy models, in contrast to the linear model, dissociate economic growth from the consumption of primary raw resources. Since the construction sector is still in its infancy with a circular economy, there is a very high potential for enhanced resource reuse, higher use of recycled materials, and increased sustainability (Stroetmann & Huttig, 2020).
The main research question is: “What are the observed and anticipated barriers and challenges for early and potential adopters of Digital Twins technologies in the Dutch circular-built environment?”
The hypothesis of this study is that an organization's circularity strategies are influenced by its specific needs, leading to a perceived need for digital replicas with specific functionalities. This decision, influenced by operational and strategic goals like material durability, environmental harm reduction, and resource utilization, influences the choice of digital twin technology. Companies with complex circularity plans may opt for more advanced digital twins, while those with simpler requirements may opt for more flexible solutions.
The research will employ several methodologies to provide a comprehensive view of digital twins' potential in the circular built environment. A literature review was conducted of CE economy strategies within the built environment. The goal was to identify challenges and barriers in the adoption of digital twins as a tool for circular construction. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify barriers experienced by those potentially using these technologies and challenges experienced by those implementing them. The literature review was used to set up a framework for conducting these interviews, categorizing actors based on their roles and circular strategy. The final aspect of the research was the solutions sourced from interviewees, categorized and cross-referencing with barriers. This provided an overview of potential solutions to the barriers and challenges identified during the interview's initial stages, ensuring a critical reflection of the solutions provided.
This thesis explores the barriers and challenges faced by early and potential adopters of Digital Twin (DT) technologies in the Dutch circular-built environment, focusing on Circularity Strategies, Digital Twins, and the unique challenges encountered by adopters. Through a comprehensive analysis of the built environment, circularity strategies, and DT archetypes, the study identifies key factors affecting the adoption process, such as financial constraints, technological hesitancy, data ownership, and regulatory issues. Interviews with early adopters revealed both common challenges, such as standardization and financial limitations, and specific solutions, including leadership in communication, modular technologies, and collaboration with research institutes. Potential adopters, on the other hand, reported additional barriers like technological immaturity and lack of clear business models. The study's findings emphasize the need for continuous technological improvements, the development of financial incentives, and stronger regulatory frameworks. Despite progress in addressing some challenges, significant barriers, such as data privacy and ownership, remain unresolved. The study concludes by offering recommendations for future research and strategies to support broader adoption of DTs, emphasizing collaboration, phased implementation, and a flexible approach to categorizing digital twin practices in the circular-built environment.

Climate change requires an innovative approach to retrofitting current built environments. This study tackles the significant intersection among lasting technologies, and financial models in the context of sustainable retrofitting. The issue at hand pertains to the necessity for feasible plans to grab and exploit amplified value resulting from sustainable retrofitting procedures.
Using a mixed-methods approach, this research applies qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Qualitative techniques entail case studies and exploratory analyses, offering insights into success factors, and best practices. Quantitative methods, like the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) financial modelling, assess the financial value of sustainable retrofit initiatives.
The primary objectives of this study are to comprehensively understand the intricate dynamics of individual and/ or collective Sustainable Energy Technologies (SETs) in retrofit practices at the neighbourhood level and will analyse whether implementing SETs on a building-by-building basis or at the neighbourhood level, or a combination of both, is preferable. The anticipated outcomes consist of a report consisting of literature review, case study, and comprehensive TCO model. These outputs aim to offer a robust framework for stakeholders include investors, policymakers, end-users, and others involved, facilitating informed decision-making and rule-setting regarding individual and/or collective SETs in retrofit projects.
Key findings from the TCO analysis show that collective systems become cost-effective beyond approximately 60 units due to economies of scale. In addition, the study highlights the critical role of accurate cost estimation, financial planning, and improved data transparency in SET implementation.
This research advances methodologies for assessing retrofits and lays the groundwork for sustainable building practices. By examining theoretical frameworks and practical applications, it paves the way for a more refined approach to sustainable retrofitting.

This research explores the interdependent public-private relationship during the front-end of urban (re)development projects. During this process the municipality calls up on the developer's ability to drive change and innovation through the co-creation of value propositions. Inevitable conflicts emerge because of value pluralism and play a significant role in the co-creation of value propositions. However, in what ways real estate developers manage those emerging conflicts constructively and how this influences individual actor's value propositions is less known. Consequently, the following research question has been drawn up: "How can real estate developers manage conflicts constructively to enable value co-creation during the front-end of urban redevelopment projects?" In answering the research question this study applies a qualitative research method, using semi-structured interviews within a case study of an urban redevelopment program in the Netherlands. The findings display the dynamics of emerging conflicts during the co-creation of value propositions between developers and the municipality and the influence on individual actor value propositions. Understanding these dynamics, proactively steering on a good project environment to foster functional conflicts and utilise appropriate conflict handling styles enables developers to constructively manage conflicts during the front-end of urban (re)development projects.

Human activities are dismantling ecosystems and eliminating genes, species, and biotopes at an alarming rate. Habitat fragmentation caused by urbanisation and infrastructure is one of the main causes of the decline in urban biodiversity. Despite challenges, project developers can enhance biodiversity in urban areas by adopting nature-inclusive design principles and engaging in collaborative efforts to share knowledge and resources. Research has demonstrated that biodiversity is currently implemented with a focus on one plot. More emphasis should be placed on implementing biodiversity within a multi-plot context. Project developers lack a framework or step-by-step plan that can support them in this challenge, including design elements and principles, stakeholder engagement, phasing, and financial prerequisites. This research contributes by developing an implementation framework that will encourage project developers to implement biodiversity in their projects in collaboration with other stakeholders. This is achieved by answering the research question ‘How can private project developers co-develop with others to enhance biodiversity across multiple plots in an area?’
The research starts with an extensive literature review of existing research on biodiversity in the built environment, establishing a foundational framework for subsequent methods. Interviews with experts are conducted to delineate the identified problem, gaining valuable insights and knowledge from ecologists. This is followed by a focus group workshop with participants from various disciplines, in which a process is designed with biodiversity guidelines and considerations. While the expert interviews focused mainly on the role of the government, the workshop discussions emphasised the role of the project developer, highlighting an observable tension between these stakeholders that necessitates collaborative alignment within the multi-plot context.
Recognising the impact of scale, the research underscores the need for collaborative efforts across multiple plots to enhance urban biodiversity. Biodiversity thrives at broader spatial scales where interconnected networks of green areas can support larger populations and facilitate species movement. Emphasising the importance of stakeholder collaboration, the developed process and implementation framework offer valuable guidance for project developers and other stakeholders. Roles, responsibilities, and priorities of stakeholders vary per urban area development project and biodiversity ambitions, which makes biodiversity enhancement complex. Biodiversity implementation in urban area development projects requires early area analysis, consistent oversight of objectives, seamless integration of biodiversity goals into the overall vision, and continuous monitoring throughout the development process.

The Bajau Laut or Sama Dilaut people are an ethnic group of sea nomads who used to roam between the Filipino, Malaysian, and Indonesian maritime zones. The Bajau are known to be amazing freedivers, being able to dive in depths of up to 30 meters and having the ability to hold their breath for more than 5 minutes, making them a group of people that biologically adapted into an amphibious lifestyle.

In 1877, most present-day Sabah, Malaysia, was surrendered to the newly constituted British North Borneo Chartered Company. The reforms constituted by the Company gradually forced them to self-build the first pile house setlements in 1955 and abandon nomadism for a sedentary lifestyle along the shore in 1979. Due to their nomadic lifestyle in the past, none of the three SE Asian countries have recognized the community as indigenous people, making them stateless and hence depriving them of the right to civil registry, subsidized healthcare and education with the exception of Alternative Learning centers that are run by NGOs and volunteering teachers. However, what is the position of Alternative Learning Centers regarding indigenous educa􀆟on and the importance of school as an establishment?

Alternative learning centers offer basic literacy classes such as Malay language and Mathematics. Still, volunteering, uncertified teachers have the freedom to improvise by introducing classes related to their major or the children’s wishes. However, only a small part of the curriculum has anything to do with the community’s traditional ecological knowledge or identity.

How do we define literacy nowadays? What deems a person illiterate? This project aims to redefine schooling by introducing a culturally responsive curriculum in a community waterscape that acts as a mediator between the community's built environment and the surrounding marine landscape, prioritizing knowledge stemming from both environments.

There is a need to broaden discussions on sustainable mobility beyond the prevalent focus on electric cars, particularly considering the challenges faced by border regions and marginalized groups that rely on public and soft transport. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the intricate dynamics of cross-border mobility transitions in Belgium and the Netherlands, with a specific focus on activating stakeholders and facilitating sustainable mobility transitions through the application of meta-governance.

Utilising a multifaceted research methodology, including an extensive literature review, in-depth case studies of HSL-Zuid and IJzeren Rijn, stakeholder interviews, this research navigates the complex landscape of meta-governance in cross-border regions.

The study reveals three pivotal tensions that disrupt current decision-making processes for cross-border connections: (1) National and Regional Imbalance in Decision-Making, (2) Formal and Informal Routes to Decision-Making and Flexibility, (3) Conflicting Interests. These tensions intricately impact governance styles, creating challenges and inefficiencies.

To address the identified issues, the research proposes actionable recommendations. Emphasising the need to harmonise national-regional governance frameworks, work on nuanced approaches to formal and informal routes, considerate divergent national interests, and heightened awareness of governance style interplay. Moreover, the research also highlights that metagovernance is already ingrained in current practices. The key lies in raising awareness of its presence among stakeholders, enabling a more informed and seamless navigation of the cross-border governance landscape. Metagovernance’s true value lies in its ability to articulate and navigate through different governance styles, adapting to various challenges and opportunities. While it may not always represent a novel approach, it serves as a critical analytical tool for understanding the dynamics of governance in complex infrastructure projects.

This master's thesis sought to explore the influence of an interactive strategy map on employees' strategic understanding. The objectives of the research were to firstly conceptualize and develop an interactive strategy map, secondly, analyse how employees across the organizational hierarchy interacted with the map, thirdly, to measure employees change in strategic understanding resulting from interacting with the map. To accomplish these objectives the research employed a qualitative approach of data acquisition and analysis, utilizing literature reviews, questionnaires, and user interaction interviews to evaluate the influence of the developed interactive strategy map. To give the map interactive dashboard properties, it was developed in Microsoft PowerBI. The development of the interactive strategy map utilized principles of a research-through-design approach. An initial design draft was created and subsequently customized. This was followed by the generation of a prototype, which was further refined through feedback obtained from user experience interviews. Finally, validation was achieved through the use of Likert-scale questions in questionnaires. The final map featured an array of filters, allowing users to gain additional insights into the strategy content. These filters not only facilitated a deeper understanding of the strategy map framework but also allowed users to personalize and refine the content to align more closely with their specific needs and objectives.

The qualitative results showed that operational management was focused on the overall vision and strategy; middle management was focused on specific tasks and objectives; Senior management was interested in the translation of corporate strategy to business strategy. The Likert-scale results demonstrated that senior management had the highest increase in their “need to understand strategy”, and the operational level had the highest increase in “strategic understanding”. Middle management only reported a slight increase in strategic understanding. Overall, each level highly agreed that the interactive strategy map is an effective tool for strategy communication and mentioned they would use the tool monthly depending on how frequently the content is updated.

In summary, this research concludes that the strategy map, as well as the process of including employees in its development, is an effective way of increasing strategic understanding. Additionally, using a new strategy framework identifies inconsistencies in the existing strategy, thereby increasing coherence in the strategy. Furthermore, including feedback from employees throughout the organizational hierarchy increases strategy cohesion. Lastly, the inclusion of interactive filters and colour coding in a strategy communication tool not only invites inquiry into the strategy, but also makes it more tangible to employees.

This research extensively examines the pivotal shift toward circularity within the European construction and building sector, with a specific emphasis on HVAC systems in utility buildings. It commences by underscoring the pressing urgency precipitated by the Paris Agreement of 2015 and subsequent climate objectives, necessitating reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and resource utilization. The construction and building sector's notable contributions to energy consumption, waste production, and material extraction highlight the imperative to address circularity within this industry.
The report delves deeply into the notion of the circular economy (CE), emphasizing its potential to disassociate economic growth from resource depletion and waste generation. While acknowledging the growing scholarly and corporate interest in CE, exemplified by industry giants such as Philips and IKEA, this study highlights the limited practical application of circular principles, particularly within the HVAC systems sector.
Recognizing the multifaceted and varying interpretations of circularity, the report seeks to demystify the concept by conducting a thorough literature review and interviews. Through a thematic analysis, it identifies existing challenges, proposes potential solutions, and evaluates the feasibility of implementing circular strategies for HVAC systems. Key findings encompass project-specific considerations, the influence of location and climate, and the imperative need for legislative reforms to expedite the transition.
Ultimately, the research provides a valuable starting point for MEP consultants, equipping them with a pragmatic decision support framework and a categorized repertoire of circular strategies. It encourages industry professionals to embrace circularity in HVAC design, bridging knowledge gaps and promoting sustainable practices. While acknowledging the study's limitations, including its qualitative nature and potential for bias, this study calls for future research to validate the framework through real-world cases, expand performance evaluation criteria, and advocate for policy reforms across the broader built environment. In summary, this study constitutes a vital stride toward fostering circularity and sustainability within the construction and HVAC sectors.

The productivity and sustainability issues in the construction industry are leading to the consideration of systemic innovations such as modular construction. The industry's complex and fragmented structure resulting in an established practice of aligning knowledge with specific tasks impedes the adoption of such innovations. This phenomenon, known as the 'mirroring trap,' obstructs businesses from identifying opportunities for adjusting their limits or restructuring their sector. Recent studies primarily examine integration strategies that facilitate the breakout from this trap. However, these studies predominantly emphasize the involvement of the main contractor and architect, while there is a noticeable lack of research on the role of real estate developers in this context. This lack of attention to real estate developers is unexpected, given their significant role in housing development within the Netherlands. The research aims to investigate how real estate developers integrate modular construction in their business. The research methodology employs a balanced approach as an iterative process between literature and empirical research. Six organisation structures were analysed with eleven expert interviews– Decentralized modular cluster; Collaborative modular clusters; Virtual project-based companies; Spin-off factory; Core-periphery platform; Integrated hierarchical firms. This thesis presents three approaches for integrating modular construction; 1) Project-based strategies incorporate modular construction via supply chain integration or through formal supplier networks, 2) Hybrid-based strategies blend industrialized construction techniques with a flexible, project-centric organizational structure via Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) and 3) product-based strategies concentrate on strategically breaking mirrors to achieve integrated organizational structures. Integration mechanisms, drivers, and challenges are identified for each. The strategies show that real estate developers play a crucial role in the integration of modular construction, and understanding the wide spectrum of strategies and tailoring them to specific contexts of the company can lead to more successful integration of modular construction. The thesis concludes with a discourse on how pinpointing and detailing integration strategies for strategic partial mirroring or breaking the mirror enhance the comprehension of integration in modular construction. It highlights the industrialization of construction development as a recurring theme and includes the current business structure's constraints. Moreover, it provides seven pragmatic suggestions for property developers to ponder over when assimilating modular construction.

Purpose:
Given the urgent need to decarbonize the building and construction industry to prevent a catastrophic climate breakdown. The United Nations has called for action from industry leaders to drastically decrease their carbon footprint, and bring it to zero by 2050 at the latest. Efforts to decrease operational carbon emissions associated with energy used to light, heat, cool, and power buildings are striving considerably. Attempts to minimize embodied carbon emissions, on the other hand, are falling behind. This has resulted in an increase in both the relative and absolute contribution of embodied carbon. The importance of the early design process concerning embodied carbon reduction has repeatedly been emphasized throughout the literature. Change in the early design process is required to reduce embodied carbon. The purpose of this research is to determine how real estate developers can steer on including embodied carbon during the early design process, to achieve net-zero carbon building ambitions.

Research question:
How can real estate developers steer on including embodied carbon during the early design process to achieve net-zero carbon building ambitions?

Methodology:
Qualitative research methods were used to answer the research question. Following a literature review to establish the theoretical background, ‘Research through design’ was used during the empirical research. Semi-structured interviews with real estate developers and design team members were conducted to Identify the relevant actors within the early design process and the activities that need to be completed to steer on embodied carbon. Furthermore, guidelines for real estate developers were developed to assist in achieving net-zero carbon building ambitions. The findings are used as input for the creation of a prototype that can be used by real estate developers. Finally, this prototype was validated and improved through two focus groups.

The construction sector significantly contributes to global waste generation and greenhouse gas emissions, leading to environmental issues such as climate change, global warming, and resource depletion. The conventional linear economy in the construction sector follows a take-make-waste approach, resulting in adverse environmental impacts. The concept of a circular economy (CE) aims to address these issues by promoting regenerative practices and closing the material use cycle through reuse and recycling. However, many companies hesitate to invest in circular approaches due to higher initial costs and limited knowledge. Consequently, research focusing on understanding the degree of circularity and its financial implications has become crucial in facilitating the global transition towards circularity in the built environment. This research delves into methods aimed at improving the comprehension of circularity in real estate development projects and understanding the associated costs. The primary objective is to devise a circular life cycle cost model (C-LCC) which seeks to bridge the gap between the evaluation of circularity and its financial implications throughout the life of a building. Unlike traditional business cases that only consider initial investment costs and potential revenue from building projects, this innovative model provides a comprehensive tool for evaluating the financial costs and benefits associated with varying degrees of circularity. An extensive literature review and interviews were conducted to establish a solid foundation for understanding the key concepts and principles of the circular economy and its application in the built environment. The developed C-LCC model is applied to a real estate development project, namely Coolbase in Rotterdam, to simulate the financial outcomes of various circular building design scenarios. This improves the understanding of the relationship between circularity and associated finances. The disparate simulations underscore the critical role of building design, material selection, and the degree of building disassembly as principal influences on the level of circularity and corresponding financial implications. The model illustrates the costs and benefits across various stages of a building's lifecycle, including the initial, operational, and end-of-life phases of a construction project, while emphasizing the potential benefits inherent in various circular design scenarios. In conclusion, this study provides valuable guidance for a more sustainable and circular future, with the model providing insight into the potential costs and benefits that depend on the degree of circularity. Moreover, the results can serve as a tool for decision-making for circular choices in real estate development.

Productivity in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is lacking. Projects in the industry have become larger and complex, leading to increasing amounts of information involved in the life cycle of a project. The low productivity of the construction industry over the previous decades has been linked to a ‘lack of communication and collaboration through information sharing’ (Boktor et al., 2014). In response, the industry has been searching for ways to systematize information sharing in a project. Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been widely embraced by the AEC industry as the answer to the difficulties in the industry. However, the implementation of BIM has not gone as smoothly as hoped. Extensive research has been done towards the barriers to BIM implementation and has resulted in the identification of three main categories of barriers: people, process, and technology. However, these results fail to acknowledge BIM is not the only method for communication in a project. The AEC industry is a knowledge-based industry that heavily relies on the experience of the people and their ability to collaborate with one another. This research considers a communication processes adept to the exchange of tacit knowledge, messy talk. In this research, the relationship between BIM and messy talk will be studied using activity theory. The main question reads: How can an organization enable effective project team context communication practices in BIM-enabled construction projects?

The research is made up of three phases and was conducted using qualitative methods. The first phase consisted of creating a comprehensive understanding of the two concepts of this research, the use of BIM in BIM-enabled construction projects and messy talk.

The second phase of the research was focused on testing this research proposition based on empirical data, collected through interviews and a case study. The empirical analysis was done using activity theory. Activity theory is a descriptive theory, well-suited to mapping so-called activity systems. The results from the activity systems analysis show that there are two scenarios in which messy talk occurs, characterized by the difference in the relationship of BIM and messy talk. The two scenarios, labelled as “problem identification” and “solution ideation”, can be linked to different aspects of the problem-solving cycle. Problem-solving requires both tacit and explicit knowledge. In comparing the two scenarios, the prompt of the messy talk as well as the intended outcome of the activity system differs. BIM plays a different role in either scenario, either as a prompt or a resolution. BIM can either be instrumental or the outcome of an interaction depending on the purpose of the messy talk. The output from either scenario of messy talk can act as an input to the other messy talk scenario but this is not bound to timeframe.

Finally, the research is concluded in the third phase, where a strategy for enabling effective communication in a BIM-enabled construction is designed using the results from the empirical research. Based on the tensions and coping mechanisms identified in the activity systems, management interventions have been designed with the purpose of enabling messy talk, BIM, or both of these processes. 11 management interventions in the areas of team, instruments, external organizations, and leadership were identified to enable the communicative practices combining BIM and messy talk. The two scenarios can be placed in the larger design phase, thereby offering insights as to which management intervention should be employed when. These management interventions and as such the strategy can be tailored to an organization’s needs, abilities, and facilities.

Further research is needed to create a more complete understanding of the relationship between BIM and messy talk. From this research, several areas of interest came up. These include further elements with an influence on the occurrence of messy talk, such as culture, division of labour or experience. Furthermore, similar research could be done to create an understanding of the role of messy talk in other phases of a construction project. Moreover, empirical data collection was limited, as such it could be worthwhile to do similar research with data collected from a broader array of project team interaction moments or from another party involved in the design phase or later stage of the project life cycle.

Recently, there has been growing concerns about CO2-emissions, labour dynamics and demand volumes in the Dutch construction industry and industrialised timber constructions have the potential to help solve parts of these challenges. However, relatively little is known about how to identify pathways to adopt industrialised timber construction in practice, especially from the viewpoint of next adopters. Therefore, this study addresses the question of what are pathways for next adopters to adopt industrialised timber construction in Dutch practice? To find an answer to this question a combination of literature review and interviews will be used. The interviews will be of exploratory nature and conducted within firms that are planning on adopting industrialised timber construction in the near future or are in the middle of this process. The goal of this research is to develop pathways for next adopters to adopt industrialised timber construction in Dutch practice. Besides just the final thesis report itself, deliverables contain amongst others a coherent literature review on the used constructs, an interview protocol, the results of analysing the data and the outcomes of the verification by the interviewees and the focus group.

From the data analysis in this research, 8 aggregate dimensions can be identified that prove to be critical in the process of adopting industrialised timber construction. These dimensions are (1) identifying next adopters, (2) context of adopting, (3) role of network/partners in the adoption process, (4) learning processes, (5) challenges when adopting, (6) risk management, (7) critical success factors and finally, (8) advantages when adopting. Also, most striking findings from the interviews are pointed out. Thereby, much of the analysed data corresponds with findings from previous studies. For each of the case studies, their pathway of adopting is described using the above 8 dimensions. These pathways also have a relation to time and are based upon 5 stages in the innovation adoption process which are defined in previous studies and theories. These stages are: attitude, persuasion, decision, implementation and confirmation.

Between the different case studies, differences and similarities are described. As a result, 3 different pathways are identified and presented in this research. The three pathways differ per aggregate dimension, but also in timeframe and emphasis per stage.

The three different stories of the cases in this study show that the adoption process can not always be framed in the same linear steps that have been found in literature. Therefore, this research introduces the ‘Cycle of innovation adoption in industrialised timber construction’ model. In this model, the typical steps in the innovation adoption process are recognized, but they are placed in a circle and supplemented with the 8 aggregate dimensions found in the data analysis. These 8 dimensions show the different phases in which organisations can ‘jump on’ or ‘jump off’ the innovation adoption process.