CIB Conferences
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to explore and synthesise different perspectives on value and waste in the built environment to gain a holistic understanding of how value and waste emerge throughout the life cycle of building. The research design employs an integrative literature review of various models used by different stakeholders in different activities in the built environment. The findings suggest that the models represent different perceptions of value and waste in the life cycle of building and conceptualise three different perspectives: Building as Project, Building as Material, and Building as Investment. Each of the perspectives focuses on different units of analysis (workflow, material flow and cashflow) with distinctly different perceptions of value (positive effects and benefits from project outcomes, protection of the environment by reduced impacts, and high returns of investment) and waste (overuse of project resources, overconsumption of materials, and inefficient use and loss of capital). The paper concludes that the three perspectives are interconnected phenomena that together constitute a field for understanding how initiatives towards reducing waste or improving value driven by one perspective may ironically dislocate effects towards other parts of the value chain. The contribution to the 17 UN SDGs primarily addresses sustainable construction (SDG9) as matters of value and waste generation during the life cycle of building and secondly responsible consumption and production (SDG12) in the built environment.
The paper will be presented:
In-person
Primary U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure - - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Secondary U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Responsible Consumption and Production - - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Primary CIB Task Group OR Working commission
W118 – Clients and Users in Construction
Secondary CIB Task Group OR Working commission
W065 – Organisation and Management of Construction
Recommended Citation
Laursen, Kathrine Godsvig; Dirchsen, Therese Neel; Wahedi, Haseebullah; and Haugbølle, Kim
(2025)
"Project, Material, and Investment as Perspectives on Value and Waste in the Life Cycle of Building,"
CIB Conferences: Vol. 1
Article 82.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7771/3067-4883.2002