Closing the Loop

Disclaimer: This is a working paper Abstract This paper explores the potential of a unified digital framework to create a continuous sustainability feedback loop in the built environment. Through an exploratory qualitative study with policymakers, entrepreneurs, engineers and operators (practitioners), the paper examines the integration of embodied and operational carbon data across the entire building lifecycle. The findings reveal that adoption is driven by a logic of financial de-risking. However, it is also hampered by a pervasive trust deficit in the industry. Crucially, the study identifies the transformation of end-of-life (EoL) deconstruction from a cost liability into a verifiable value stream as a central benefit of such platform. This repositioning of waste as a potential asset can create new markets. But this hinges on resolving governance tensions over data ownership and material traceability. This paper concludes that a DT's success as a market infrastructure depends on its ability to make whole-life carbon, particularly at the end-of-life stage, visible, verifiable, and financeable. The framework has the potential to contribute to embodied emission reductions during design. Additionally, it may help optimize operational carbon, thus narrow the performance gap. Finally, its data loop may contribute positively towards circular economy principles by supporting adaptive reuse, predictive maintenance, and verifiable material recovery across the full building lifecycle. Keywords: Circular Economy, Digital Twin, Embodied & Operational Carbon, End-of-Life Deconstruction, Sustainable Construction.