Research Publications
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Publication Open Access Circular Economy Practices in Road Rehabilitation and Development in Sri Lanka(Faculty of Engineering, 2026-03) De Alwis, L. M.; Gunarathna, K A N; Kalugala, C.The integration of Circular Economy principles into road rehabilitation and development offers a sustainable alternative to traditional linear construction practices. In Sri Lanka, where road infrastructure is crucial to economic growth and connectivity, the Circular Economy offers opportunities to reduce reliance on virgin materials, minimise environmental impact, and enhance longterm cost efficiency. This study explored applicable Circular Economy strategies, assessed current implementation practices, identified key challenges, and proposed viable solutions to support Circular Economy adoption in the Sri Lankan Road sector. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a comprehensive literature review with data from semi-structured expert interviews and a questionnaire survey of construction professionals. The findings indicate that while awareness of the Circular Economy is growing, its practical application remains limited due to barriers such as the absence of standardized technical guidelines, insufficient government incentives, limited stakeholder knowledge, logistical challenges in material sourcing and storage, and reluctance to shift from traditional methods. Data also highlights substantial potential benefits, including cost savings, reduced construction waste, increased material efficiency, and environmental improvements. Participants emphasized the importance of pilot projects, training programs, and policy support in promoting Circular Economy practices. To overcome existing barriers, the study recommends the development of clear Circular Economy specifications, financial incentives, capacity-building initiatives, and the establishment of centralized recycling infrastructure. These strategic actions can facilitate the transition toward a more circular and sustainable approach in Sri Lanka’s Road construction and maintenance sectors.Publication Open Access ADOPTION OF A CIRCULAR ECONOMY FRAMEWORK IN THE DESIGN PHASE OF THE REFURBISHMENT PROJECT(Faculty of Engineering, 2026-01) Abilash, S; Gunarathna, K A N; Kalugala,C.Sustainable development in the built environment depends on minimizing environmental impact and conserving resources. In refurbishment projects, integrating circular economy (CE) principles during the design stage can significantly reduce waste and enhance resource efficiency. This study presents a tailored CE framework based on the 2D3R model, which emphasizes Design for Disassembly, Design for Adaptability, and Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle strategies. The framework was developed through a combination of literature review, expert interviews, and survey analysis to identify drivers and barriers to CE adoption in refurbishment. Key findings highlight the role of digital technologies particularly Building Information Modelling (BIM) in improving material traceability and facilitating lifecycle assessments. These tools support the implementation of circular strategies by enabling better planning and design decisions early in the project. The study concludes that applying the 2D3R approach in initial design phases enhances sustainability, reduces costs, and improves the adaptability and longevity of refurbished buildings.Publication Open Access Circular Economy Practices in Road Rehabilitation and Development in Sri Lanka(Faculty of Engineering, 2025-09-09) De Alwis, L. M.; Gunarathna, K A N; Kalugala, C.The integration of Circular Economy principles into road rehabilitation and development offers a sustainable alternative to traditional linear construction practices. In Sri Lanka, where road infrastructure is crucial to economic growth and connectivity, the Circular Economy offers opportunities to reduce reliance on virgin materials, minimise environmental impact, and enhance long-term cost efficiency. This study explored applicable Circular Economy strategies, assessed current implementation practices, identified key challenges, and proposed viable solutions to support Circular Economy adoption in the Sri Lankan Road sector. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a comprehensive literature review with data from semi-structured expert interviews and a questionnaire survey of construction professionals. The findings indicate that while awareness of the Circular Economy is growing, its practical application remains limited due to barriers such as the absence of standardised technical guidelines, insufficient government incentives, limited stakeholder knowledge, logistical challenges in material sourcing and storage, and reluctance to shift from traditional methods. Data also highlights substantial potential benefits, including cost savings, reduced construction waste, increased material efficiency, and environmental improvements. Participants emphasised the importance of pilot projects, training programs, and policy support in promoting Circular Economy practices. To overcome existing barriers, the study recommends the development of clear Circular Economy specifications, financial incentives, capacity-building initiatives, and the establishment of centralised recycling infrastructure. These strategic actions can facilitate the transition toward a more circular and sustainable approach in Sri Lanka’s Road construction and maintenance sectors.Publication Open Access Adoption Of A Circular Economy Framework In The Design Phase Of The Refurbishment Project(Faculty of Engineering, 2025-09-09) Abilash, S; Gunarathna, K A N; Kalugala, C.Sustainable development in the built environment depends on minimizing environmental impact and conserving resources. In refurbishment projects, integrating circular economy (CE) principles during the design stage can significantly reduce waste and enhance resource efficiency. This study presents a tailored CE framework based on the 2D3R model, which emphasizes Design for Disassembly, Design for Adaptability, and the strategies of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. The framework was developed through a combination of literature review, expert interviews, and survey analysis to identify drivers and barriers to CE adoption in refurbishment. Key findings highlight the role of digital technologies particularly Building Information Modeling (BIM) in improving material traceability and facilitating lifecycle assessments. These tools support the implementation of circular strategies by enabling better planning and design decisions early in the project. The study concludes that applying the 2D3R approach in initial design phases enhances sustainability, reduces costs, and improves the adaptability and longevity of refurbished buildings.Publication Open Access Public Sector Role as a Key Stakeholder Towards the Circular Economy in the Built Environment in Sri Lanka(Faculty of Engineering, 2025-09-09) Gunasekara G. S. A.; Gunarathna K. A. N.; Karunaratne B. C. T. M.The circular economy (CE) concept is a more appropriate approach to meet the sustainability challenges of today's construction industry, allowing construction activities to operate in a closed loop, away from the traditional linear economy model (LE). Although some CE principles are applied in Sri Lanka, they are not fully implemented. As a policy maker, the public sector should play a significant role in implementing CE in the built environment. However, limited attention has been paid to this, and no research has identified the public sector’s role in this regard. The primary aim of this research is to explore the role and potential contribution of the public sector as a key stakeholder in implementing CE in Sri Lanka’s built environment. To achieve this, global and local practices were examined to understand how CE principles are applied and to provide recommendations for improving CE adoption. The benefits and challenges to the public sector and private sector views on its role in CE implementation were also explored. A mixed approach was used for data collection. Expert interviews and questionnaires were developed after gaining a thorough understanding of CE principles through a comprehensive literature review. Ten expert interviews and thirty-eight questionnaire responses were analyzed. Although the public sector has initiated efforts such as green building standards and waste management, the study found a need for a stronger regulatory framework, institutional support, and collaboration with the private sector. Challenges such as limited awareness, high start-up costs, and regulatory gaps were identified. The research emphasized the importance of CE policies, financial incentives, and public-private partnerships. It also stressed the need for training and awareness programs to equip stakeholders with the knowledge required to implement CE.Item Open Access Lean integrated circular economy in the Sri Lankan construction industry: a qualitative Delphi study(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2025) Vijayakumar, H; Ranadewa K.A.T.O; Weerakoon, P; Weerakoon, P; Jayanetti J.K.D.D.TThe construction industry is known for its significant environmental impact and waste generation. To address this issue, the concept of Circular Economy (CE) has emerged, aiming to minimise waste and maximise resource utilisation. However, there are several barriers which impede the implementation of the CE concept in the construction industry. Therefore, this research aims to incorporate the lean concept to overcome the barriers of CE implementation in the construction industry. Therefore, this research develops a framework for a lean-enabled CE in the construction industry. The qualitative approach is used for this paper, and the Delphi technique was adopted. Purposive sampling was used to select the experts for the study, and data were analysed through manual content analysis. The findings revealed 10 benefits from CE and 12 benefits from Lean were identified, along with 8 benefits of CE and Lean integration. Furthermore, 19 barriers were identified towards this integration, and 12 strategies were identified to overcome these barriers. This study also provides a comprehensive mapping between CE and Lean implementation benefits, their integration benefits and barriers, and strategies. In addition, integrating lean and CE for the construction industry can lead to many significant benefits, such as cost savings, improved environmental performance, and enhanced stakeholder engagement.Publication Open Access Circular Economy, Digitalization and Inter-Organizational Collaboration: The Marvelous Trio(ICSDB 2024 and SLIIT Business School, 2024-12-10) Greco, MThe idea of supporting the transition toward a circular economy increasingly attracts managers for many good reasons, such as the institutional pressures from governments and society, the desire to imitate the industry leaders that increasingly disseminate their circular economy initiatives, the growing space sustainability and circular economy have in education and training programs, and the challenges associated with raw materials. This keynote speech will discuss how the quest to make a firm’s products and processes ‘more circular’ needs a team effort with other organizations and a fair dose of digitalization. The audience will be left with some thought-provoking questions about how inter-organizational collaboration, digitalization, and circular economy innovation intertwine.