Barriers, Strategies, and Policy Pathways for Digital Circular Economy in Building Retrofits

Embedding Circular Economy principles into existing building retrofits offers the potential to reduce resource consumption, lower waste generation, and achieve significant long-term operational cost savings. However, widespread adoption is hindered by financial, regulatory, technical, and cultural barriers. This paper examines these challenges in detail and proposes practical strategies and policy pathways to overcome them. Digital technologies – including Building Information Modeling, the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Twins – serve as critical enablers in the retrofit process. Our multi-case analysis and cost–benefit perspective demonstrate that phased retrofitting approaches, open data standards, targeted skill-building initiatives, and well-designed financial incentives can significantly enhance CE outcomes. The findings provide actionable insights and a policy roadmap to accelerate the transformation of existing buildings into sustainable, circular assets.

کلیدواژه ها:

Circular Economy ، Building Retrofit ، Digital Technologies ، Stakeholder Engagement