Healthy, Digital and Sustainable Buildings and Cities
A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Energy, Physics, Environment, and Systems".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 29257
Special Issue Editors
Interests: sustainability; LCA; energy efficiency; IAQ; thermal comfort; digitalization
Interests: indoor environment; IAQ; heating and air-conditioning systems; human responses to the indoor environment; the impact of indoor environment on work productivity, activity and well-being
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The construction sector, one of the largest industries in the world, is nowadays integrating concepts of Industry 4.0, a practice known as Construction 4.0. Construction 4.0 is based on the digitalisation of industry and the industrialisation of processes. Technologies used for this purpose include: Building Information Modelling (BIM), Digital Twin (DT), Internet of Things (IoT), simulation and modelling, autonomous and industrial robotics, augmented and virtual reality, additive/advanced manufacturing, big data and other innovative technologies.
These new technologies must also fulfil sustainability measures with respect to environmental, economic and social factors. Economic factors may be analysed from a circular economy point of view. Life Cycle Assessment, a comprehensive tool used to evaluate different products, buildings and systems throughout their life cycle, can be used to fulfil environmental requirements. Social aspects could be analysed in different ways, such as in ensuring a sustainable and safe environment. People spend most of their time indoors (>80%); thus, indoor air quality is a critical health determinant. Ensuring good environmental and thermal comfort conditions for people staying indoors is essential. However, this presents a challenge to establishing energy efficiency in buildings.
Topics of interest include current research in the following areas:
- Sustainable buildings and cities;
- Digitalisation of the construction sector;
- Life Cycle Assessment of buildings materials, systems and buildings;
- Indoor air quality and thermal comfort;
- Energy efficiency in sustainable buildings.
Prof. Dr. Lina Šeduikytė
Dr. Jakub Kolarik
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- sustainability
- energy efficiency
- indoor air quality
- thermal comfort
- digitalisation
- building information modelling
- 6D-BIM
- digital twins
- life cycle assessment
- green buildings
- sustainable cities
- industry 4.0
- construction 4.0
- circular economy
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: Enhanced Indoor Air Quality Dashboard Framework and Classroom Index: A Practical Proposition for Higher Educational Institutions in Developing Countries
Authors: Farah Ibrahim Shoukry; Sherif Goubran; Khaled Tarabieh
Affiliation: .Department of Architecture, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University of Cairo, [email protected] 2
Abstract: Digital innovation in Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) monitoring systems has gained momentum after the COVID-19 pandemic. Ensuring the health of occupants has become a priority for facility managers – especially in educational spaces, including higher education institutions. By exploring air quality parameters, energy performance, thermal comfort parameters, alongside spatial parameters related to the design of a healthy university classroom, this research aims to provide a framework for managing a given space best. This research used a designed survey for facility managers and health professionals to gain insights on the design of this augmented IAQ dashboard and related Classroom Index, followed by an expert panel to validate the survey findings and build a framework for the proposed dashboard. The research has proposed an IAQ dashboard for facility managers to enable them to make informed decisions concerning the health and safety of occupants and draw analytical trends of the facilities’ operations regarding energy consumption and carbon emissions. The significant contribution of this research is to suggest a conceptual visualization dashboard and a classroom index that integrates a representative number of indicators to recommend optimal IAQ scenarios for a given educational facility. The work focused on catering to the needs of developing countries where building users might be less aware of health regulations or preventative measures.
Title: New Generation Approach in the Research of School Buildings. A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Paulius Vestfal; Lina Šeduikytė
Affiliation: Kaunas University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture 1
Abstract: In the evolving field of civil engineering literature, a clear change is evident. The new generation articles differ from fundamental generation articles because in the new generation articles the modern trends such as the Internet of Things, Life Cycle Assessment, and Building Information Modeling are prioritized. These forward-looking articles focus on practical applications and advancements, emphasizing sustainable infrastructure practices, eco-friendly designs, digitalization, and advanced modeling. This change, covering from the late 20th century to the early 21st century, not only reshapes traditional practices but also addresses environmental concerns, with a notable emphasis on indoor air quality despite its fundamental nature. In the education sector, challenges are highlighted, including insufficient energy use, high maintenance costs, and poor working conditions, contributing to increased expenses. The aforementioned school air quality issues, considering pollution, ventilation systems, and rates significantly impact classroom air quality and student learning outcomes. Positive influences, such as pleasant smells and the correlation between environmental factors and academic performance, are underscored. Navigation of the databases such as Scopus and Web of Science helped noticing difference between the new generation articles and the fundamental generation articles. The fundamental generation articles primarily emphasized indoor air quality parameters, whereas the new generation articles focus on technologies. This shift signifies a transition in focus from traditional indoor air quality considerations to broader technological integrations in the field. Moreover, the authors observed that life cycle assessment reveals different priorities of the author of life cycle assessment articles, emphasizing different importance to different aspects. When using the CiteSpace program, insightful visualizations using data from the Web of Science database explore the dynamic landscape surrounding Life Cycle Assessment, the Internet of Things, and Building Information Modeling. After analyzing the collected data, the authors noticed that emerging trends in the industry align with and adapt to existing topics, indicating a continuity rather than displacement of established topics. It shows that existing topics will not be disregarded but rather integrated and evolved upon. Consequently, future research efforts will need to include a broader range of information to fully account for the evolving landscape of the field.