Circular Economy and Business Model Innovation in the Construction Industry

Abstract

The Swiss construction industry is currently dealing in depth with Building Information Modeling (BIM), because the hopes which are associated with BIM, are enormous. Many actors along the construction value chain are expecting significant increases in efficiency and quality through BIM. But BIM is not the only challenge that the Swiss Construction Industry (SCI) faces. Like the global construction industry, the SCI is struggling with considerable material consumption and high amounts of waste. In order to reduce the material consumption and the amount of waste in the construction industry, the circular economy as a new economic approach can certainly offer an efficient solution here, especially when the application is carried out through BIM. One of the great potentials of using BIM for all disciplines along the AECO value chain lies in the support and implementation of new economical concept, like the concept of Circular Economy (CE). This master thesis intents to show how BIM and the Circular Economy affect the business models of construction companies. From the literature research and the interviews with experts, it is clear that both the application of the BIM methodology and the concept of the CE have opportunities and barriers. The following master thesis has shown that the impact on the business models of Swiss Construction Companies (SCC) is accordingly extensive.