Advancing modular construction through circular economy: Insights from semi-automated PRISMA analysis and topic modeling

The integration of circular economy (CE) principles with modular construction (MC) provides an effective solution for extending building life cycles and managing resources within a closed-loop system, thereby mitigating the environmental impact of the construction industry. Despite this potential, the connection between MC and CE remains underexplored in existing literature. This research aims to address this gap by conducting a systematic literature review to explore the growing interest in this integrated field. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, 67 studies were selected for analysis. A descriptive analysis confirmed increasing global attention towards MC and CE. Subsequently, topic modeling and content analysis identified four key research areas: (1) Life cycle sustainability assessment, (2) Secondary raw materials, (3) Strategies and implementation, and (4) Innovative structure and system design. The findings reveal several gaps, including the limited scope of sustainability assessment studies, the challenges of developing secondary products and innovative structures in laboratory environments, the scarcity of practical validation for proving positive impacts, and the need for advancements in circular information management and information and communication technologies. This review concludes by proposing a research agenda with five research directions to address these gaps. The main contribution of this research lies in its provision of actionable insights for both academics and industry practitioners, aimed at pursuing sustainable construction practices by advancing MC through CE. •Addressing knowledge gaps on circular economy in modular construction.•Four different topics of research area were found.•Environmental assessment should consider individual modules as assessment level.•A research agenda of five future directions for researchers and practitioners.•Semi-automated literature review framework helping researchers save time and effort.