Enhancing sustainability in the UK construction industry: a triangulation perspective of lean, BIM and circular economy

Purpose This research explores the potential integration of lean construction (LC), building information modelling (BIM) and circular economy (CE) to enhance sustainability in the UK construction sector. It also attempts to explore the use of Design for Disassembly (DfD) and deconstruction to advance sustainable construction. While not looking into the potential supporting factors, the research also looked deeper into the hindrance role of shortage of cross-field experts and high transition costs in fully implementing the LC, BIM and CE towards sustainable construction. Design/methodology/approach A multi-method strategy was employed that included the utilisation of quantitative and qualitative methods. The Delphi-interpretive structural modelling (ISM) surveys and semi-structured interviews were utilised to gather data. A total of 10 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The interview data was examined using thematic analysis with the help of NVivo. Whereas the Delphi-ISM survey data were treated while employing the SmartISM software to perform ISM and MICMAC analysis. Findings The quantitative and qualitative findings of this study conclusively indicate that the implementation of BIM and CE aid sustainable construction practices. Surprisingly, the quantitative results suggested that LC did not play a significant role in achieving sustainability, which was contrary to the qualitative results. Similarly, shortage of cross-field experts, one of the two challenges discussed in this research, also seemed to have a discrepancy between the quantitative and qualitative results. This inconsistency may be due to the explanatory nature of the qualitative methodology. Originality/value The study is expected to expand the knowledge base by filing the existing gaps in literature regarding the integration of LC, BIM and CE by stressing their importance in the design and demolition phases to promote sustainable practices in the UK construction industry.