Circular Project Delivery Finder

AI Quick Summary

Our GoalTo enable project owners and their teams to systematically select the project delivery model that best supports their circular construction goals.The ProblemThe construction industry lacks a structured method to compare how delivery models align with circularity, leading to misinformed decisions and suboptimal outcomes.The SolutionA dynamic scoreboard tool that matches project delivery models with circularity goals through a structured, engaging, and easy-to-use scoring system. What challenge in the circular building and construction industry does your idea address? The construction industry operates in fragmented, multi-actor systems, where project delivery models shape outcomes. Yet, it lacks a structured way to compare how different project delivery models align with circular project goals. As a result, decision-makers struggle to implement circular strategies. This misalignment leads to projects falling short on circularity.What is your vision for solving this challenge, and why is your approach innovative? Who will benefit from a solution to this problem?We propose the Circular Project Delivery Finder, a scoreboard tool to systematically match project goals with the 10Rs of circularity in an intuitive and engaging process.Our solution enables structured decision-making by scoring how well different delivery models (e.g., Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build, Integrated Project Delivery) support circular objectives. Rather than relying on intuition, anecdotal experience or case-by-case reasoning, the tool systematizes delivery model selection, ensuring project teams understand trade-offs and synergies. The innovative aspect is in its structured yet gameful approach: instead of rigid checklists, it introduces a scoring system that highlights circular potential dynamically. This benefits the following actors:Clients and project owners, who gain clarity on delivery model selection.Contractors and designers, who can align procurement strategies with sustainability goals.Regulators and policymakers, who can integrate the tool into policy frameworks.By bridging the gap between project governance and circular principles, the proposed tool introduces a structured yet engaging approach to sustainable decision-making.How could your idea positively impact the planet, people, or economy in the future? The tool has three core impacts:Environmental: By linking project delivery models to circular principles, it helps reduce waste, emissions, and material consumption at scale.Social: It aims to foster better alignment among stakeholders, reducing friction between circular goals and project constraints at an early stage.Economic: It improves decision efficiency, lowering project risks and unlocking new value streams for circular materials and business models.In essence, better decisions upstream lead to stronger circular outcomes downstream, ensuring projects align with long-term circularity goals.What assumptions or ideas do you want to test? What do you plan to work on during the booster program, and what is your goal to deliver at the end?Project delivery models shape who makes decisions on construction projects and when, and with what incentives. Yet, their impact on circularity remains unquantified and subjective. We aim to test three key assumptionsDecision-makers need a structured framework to compare delivery models against circular project objectives early-on.A scoring-based approach improves engagement and decision quality compared to traditional decision matrices.A lightweight, easy-to-use tool can influence real-world delivery project model selection.During the booster program, we will:Develop a prototype of the scoreboard integrating scoring logic and key features of delivery models.Test feasibility with industry professionals to assess and validate decision-making impact.Refine the scoring methodology to balance scientific rigor and usability.At the end of the program, we aim to deliver a validated prototype, with empirical insights on how different project delivery models can be matched with circularity goals.Has your idea been tested before? If yes, what were the results, and what remains to be tested?Decision-support frameworks exist but are static, complex, and poorly adopted in construction. Research suggests structural misalignment between project governance structures and circularity, but no interactive and easy-to-use tool exists to quantify and understand this relationship in the praxis context.We still need to test: Does structured scoring improve decision outcomes? How do project teams engage with a gamified approach? Can this tool scale across different project types and governance structures?This phase will focus on initially validating usability and impact before broader industry adoption.Who is in your team, and what expertise or roles do they bring?Our team brings cross-disciplinary expertise in construction management, circular economy, and digital decision tools:ZHAW Institute for Building Technology and Process: Research in project delivery models, construction project governance and innovation, responsible for data collection & analysis; Leader of SWIRCULAR sub-project Delivery Models for Circular Construction.Switzerland Innovation Park Central: Industry validation, praxis transfer; expert forum for collaborative project delivery.Dr. Alexander Walzer (AEC Technology Consultant): Digital tool design, prototype functionality and user experience design.This team structure ensures that theory, data, design, and practice come together for a rigorous yet user-friendly tool.How do you plan to secure the 10% third-party funding required?We are pursuing two funding avenues: First, industry partnerships by engaging construction firms and/or consultancies in our network that seek structured circular decision-making. Secondly through pilot testing sponsorships by offering early adopter access to beta versions of the tool. Additionally, we will leverage existing networks in the circular construction ecosystem (e.g. Innosuisse SWIRCULAR) to secure targeted co-funding during the project’s duration.

Project Idea Metadata

Project Idea Name: Circular Project Delivery Finder
Date: 4/9/2025 9:51:04 AM
Administrators:
- Konrad Graser

Project Idea Description

What challenge in the circular building and construction industry does your idea address?

The construction industry operates in fragmented, multi-actor systems, where project delivery models shape outcomes. Yet, it lacks a structured way to compare how different project delivery models align with circular project goals. As a result, decision-makers struggle to implement circular strategies. This misalignment leads to projects falling short on circularity.

What is your vision for solving this challenge, and why is your approach innovative? Who will benefit from a solution to this problem?

We propose the Circular Project Delivery Finder, a scoreboard tool to systematically match project goals with the 10Rs of circularity in an intuitive and engaging process.

Our solution enables structured decision-making by scoring how well different delivery models (e.g., Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build, Integrated Project Delivery) support circular objectives. Rather than relying on intuition, anecdotal experience or case-by-case reasoning, the tool systematizes delivery model selection, ensuring project teams understand trade-offs and synergies. The innovative aspect is in its structured yet gameful approach: instead of rigid checklists, it introduces a scoring system that highlights circular potential dynamically. This benefits the following actors:

- Clients and project owners, who gain clarity on delivery model selection.
- Contractors and designers, who can align procurement strategies with sustainability goals.
- Regulators and policymakers, who can integrate the tool into policy frameworks.

By bridging the gap between project governance and circular principles, the proposed tool introduces a structured yet engaging approach to sustainable decision-making.

How could your idea positively impact the planet, people, or economy in the future?

The tool has three core impacts:

1. Environmental: By linking project delivery models to circular principles, it helps reduce waste, emissions, and material consumption at scale.
2. Social: It aims to foster better alignment among stakeholders, reducing friction between circular goals and project constraints at an early stage.
3. Economic: It improves decision efficiency, lowering project risks and unlocking new value streams for circular materials and business models.

In essence, better decisions upstream lead to stronger circular outcomes downstream, ensuring projects align with long-term circularity goals.

What assumptions or ideas do you want to test? What do you plan to work on during the booster program, and what is your goal to deliver at the end?

Project delivery models shape who makes decisions on construction projects and when, and with what incentives. Yet, their impact on circularity remains unquantified and subjective. We aim to test three key assumptions

1. Decision-makers need a structured framework to compare delivery models against circular project objectives early-on.
2. A scoring-based approach improves engagement and decision quality compared to traditional decision matrices.
3. A lightweight, easy-to-use tool can influence real-world delivery project model selection.

During the booster program, we will:

- Develop a prototype of the scoreboard integrating scoring logic and key features of delivery models.
- Test feasibility with industry professionals to assess and validate decision-making impact.
- Refine the scoring methodology to balance scientific rigor and usability.

At the end of the program, we aim to deliver a validated prototype, with empirical insights on how different project delivery models can be matched with circularity goals.

Has your idea been tested before? If yes, what were the results, and what remains to be tested?

Decision-support frameworks exist but are static, complex, and poorly adopted in construction. Research suggests structural misalignment between project governance structures and circularity, but no interactive and easy-to-use tool exists to quantify and understand this relationship in the praxis context.

We still need to test:

Does structured scoring improve decision outcomes?
How do project teams engage with a gamified approach?
Can this tool scale across different project types and governance structures?

This phase will focus on initially validating usability and impact before broader industry adoption.

Who is in your team, and what expertise or roles do they bring?

Our team brings cross-disciplinary expertise in construction management, circular economy, and digital decision tools:

- ZHAW Institute for Building Technology and Process: Research in project delivery models, construction project governance and innovation, responsible for data collection & analysis; Leader of SWIRCULAR sub-project Delivery Models for Circular Construction.
- Switzerland Innovation Park Central: Industry validation, praxis transfer; expert forum for collaborative project delivery.
- Dr. Alexander Walzer (AEC Technology Consultant): Digital tool design, prototype functionality and user experience design.

This team structure ensures that theory, data, design, and practice come together for a rigorous yet user-friendly tool.

How do you plan to secure the 10% third-party funding required?

We are pursuing two funding avenues: First, industry partnerships by engaging construction firms and/or consultancies in our network that seek structured circular decision-making. Secondly through pilot testing sponsorships by offering early adopter access to beta versions of the tool. Additionally, we will leverage existing networks in the circular construction ecosystem (e.g. Innosuisse SWIRCULAR) to secure targeted co-funding during the project’s duration.

Our Goal

To enable project owners and their teams to systematically select the project delivery model that best supports their circular construction goals.

The Problem

The construction industry lacks a structured method to compare how delivery models align with circularity, leading to misinformed decisions and suboptimal outcomes.

The Solution

A dynamic scoreboard tool that matches project delivery models with circularity goals through a structured, engaging, and easy-to-use scoring system.