ASSESSING CIRCULARITY IN LGS STRUCTURES: A COMPARATIVE MULTI-CYCLE LCA OF DFD-ENABLED REUSE AND RECYCLING STRATEGIES

Date

2026-6-19

Author

Aktepe, Sueda

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The construction industry is responsible for a significant share of global environmental impacts, with steel contributing a substantial portion. Light gauge steel (LGS) structures represent an important segment within this impact profile. Despite its high environmental burden, steel also offers considerable potential for impact reduction through the application of circular strategies. However, these strategies, particularly reuse, are not yet widely or systematically implemented in the industry. This research aims to support the broader adoption of reuse practices in the steel sector by providing assessment of their environmental benefits based on a comparative approach. A case study approach is adopted to create a base for conducting a multi-cycle Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on different End-of-Life (EoL) scenarios. The comparative research evaluates the environmental effectiveness of Design for Deconstruction (DfD)-enabled component reuse in LGS structures, in comparison with conventional recycling practices based on the case. The results indicate that both scenarios achieve lower environmental impacts through the application of circular strategies. However, the reuse-based scenario demonstrates lower environmental impacts, particularly in terms of emissions. Overall, the findings indicate that DfD-enabled reuse in steel construction has strong potential to reduce emissions and enhance circularity in the built environment.

Subject Keywords

Design for Deconstruction, Circularity, Light Gauge Steel, Reuse, Life Cycle Assessment

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/119746

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Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis