Mapping Circular Building Renovations: A Systematic Review of Global Trends, Gaps, and Future Pathways

Abstract Renovation of existing buildings to align with circular economy principles is increasingly being seen as a key strategy to reduce environmental impacts and resource consumption in the construction sector. These buildings can serve as an urban mine, so alignment with the governing principles of circularity is important. But the existing research remains fragmented across technical, environmental, socio-economic, and governance domains. This article presents a systematic literature review of 91 studies, including journal papers and reports published between 2015 and 2025, selected through a structured search and four-step screening process following PRISMA reporting principles. A complementary approach was used, combining bibliometric mapping with VOSviewer, document similarity analysis with the Voyant text-mining tool, and qualitative data extraction to understand thematic fragmentation according to the governing principles of circularity. The findings identify cross-domain knowledge gaps and highlight priority areas for future research, which include methodological advancements for multi-cycle assessment, circular design strategies for reverse logistics, digital technologies enabling circular business models, and policy innovation to support scalable circular renovation practices. These findings formed the basis of proposing an integrative multi-dimensional synthesis framework linking resource conservation methodologies with circular design, business models, as a socio-technical system of governance and stakeholder dynamics. Recommendations for further research on circularity in the renovation of buildings are provided.