Buildings’ Thermal Performance and Energy Efficiency for Sustainable Construction
1
School of Architecture, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710061, China
2
School of Humanities and Social Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Buildings 2025, 15(18), 3410; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15183410
Submission received: 22 August 2025
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Accepted: 9 September 2025
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Published: 20 September 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buildings' Thermal Performance and Energy Efficiency for a Sustainable Construction)
1. Context and Rationale
The accelerating challenges of climate change and the global pursuit of sustainable development have positioned building thermal performance and energy efficiency at the forefront of academic and practical discourse. As the building sector is responsible for a significant portion of global energy consumption and carbon emissions, improving thermal performance is not merely a technical issue but also a societal necessity. Against this backdrop, this Special Issue of Buildings brings together eight contributions addressing the intertwined goals of reducing energy demand, mitigating carbon emissions, and ensuring human comfort and resilience across diverse climates and building types. Collectively, these studies provide novel insights that range from microclimatic optimization and façade design strategies to large-scale urban analyses, thereby offering a comprehensive view of sustainable construction practices.
2. Theme, Advances, and Article Highlights
This Special Issue covers a spectrum of scales—from urban outdoor environments to building-level designs—showcasing integrated approaches that blend passive strategies, renewable energy utilization, advanced technologies, and lifecycle thinking.
Zhang et al. Contribution 1 explore how participatory design and cognitive alignment between users and designers can foster inclusive, age-friendly rural environments. The paper highlights that enhancing social sustainability can be effectively integrated with low-carbon development principles, thereby broadening the scope of sustainable construction.
Ma et al. Contribution 2 examine how elevated semi-open spaces enhance airflow and shading, improving pedestrian-level comfort in cold regions. The study integrates simulations and measurements, offering design guidance for public spaces in climates where extreme cold remains a challenge.
Liu et al. Contribution 3 address energy scarcity in cold mountain environments. Through a combination of passive solar design strategies and spatial optimization methods, the study demonstrates how settlement planning can reduce energy demands while enhancing local adaptability to harsh climates.
Khan and Ghiai Contribution 4 synthesize recent advances in façade innovation. The review highlights how material choice, surface texture, and reflective properties can significantly influence both indoor thermal performance and outdoor microclimates, contributing to holistic environmental comfort.
Zhang et al. Contribution 5 evaluate the mitigation potential of low-carbon technologies in an urban context. By modeling technology deployment scenarios in Xi’an, the authors provide quantitative evidence of how innovations in building systems can reduce carbon emissions and accelerate progress toward regional climate goals.
Song et al. Contribution 6 introduce a morphological indicator to evaluate sunlight–shade dynamics. Their findings reveal a strong correlation between insolation patterns and pedestrian comfort, thereby providing urban designers with a practical metric for optimizing outdoor spaces.
Chen et al. Contribution 7 leverage CFD simulations to analyze wind flow in dense dormitory complexes. The study highlights how building arrangement and orientation can improve ventilation performance, which is crucial for both energy efficiency and health in collective living spaces.
Li et al. Contribution 8 investigate urbanization dynamics at a regional scale. By quantifying the coordination between land development, energy consumption, and carbon emissions, this work provides critical evidence for policy frameworks aimed at balancing economic growth with ecological sustainability.
Together, these eight contributions illustrate how advances at multiple scales—from material innovations and building design to urban planning and social participation—can be aligned to foster sustainable and climate-resilient construction practices.
3. Outlook and Gratitude
This Special Issue provides a comprehensive overview of cutting-edge research that integrates thermal performance improvement with energy efficiency, spanning from microclimatic analyses of outdoor spaces to regional carbon-emission dynamics. The contributions collectively highlight that sustainability in the built environment requires a multi-scalar approach: technical optimization of buildings, integration of low-carbon technologies, consideration of user needs, and systemic urban governance.
Looking ahead, future research should emphasize cross-scale integration, particularly linking building-level thermal optimization with urban-scale carbon accounting and renewable energy deployment. Moreover, strengthening the interface between technological innovation and human-centered design will be essential to achieve climate resilience and sustainable development.
We extend our sincere gratitude to all authors for their high-quality contributions, to the reviewers for their thoughtful feedback, and to the editorial team at Buildings for their professional support. We hope that this Special Issue will serve as a valuable reference for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers dedicated to advancing sustainable construction worldwide.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
List of Contributions
- Zhang, Z.; Zhan, Z.; Li, Y. User–Designer Cognitive Synergy: Enhancing Age-Friendly Rural Public Space Design. Buildings 2025, 15, 3078. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15173078.
- Ma, X.; Luo, Q.; Yan, F.; Lei, Y.; Lu, Y.; Chen, H.; Yang, Y.; Feng, H.; Zhou, M.; Ding, H.; et al. Evaluating the Microclimatic Performance of Elevated Open Spaces for Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Cold Climate Zones. Buildings 2025, 15, 2777. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15152777.
- Liu, B.; Song, W.; Liu, Y.; Wang, C.; Song, J. Optimal Spatial Configuration for Energy and Solar Use in Alpine-Frigid Resettlement Communities. Buildings 2025, 15, 2691. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15152691.
- Khan, Z.; Ghiai, M. Enhancing Outdoor Environmental Comfort: A Review of Façade-Surface Strategies and Microclimate Impacts. Buildings 2025, 15, 2829. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15162829.
- Zhang, D.; Sun, L.; Zhang, Y.; Liu, T.; Gao, L.; Wang, F.; Qiao, X.; Liu, Y.; Zuo, J.; Wang, Y. The Effect of Low-Carbon Technology on Carbon Emissions Reduction in the Building Sector: A Case Study of Xi’an, China. Buildings 2025, 15, 1989. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15121989.
- Song, J.; Liu, Y.; Chow, D.H.C.; Liu, B.; Cho, S. Correlation Between the Insolation Shadow Ratio and Thermal Comfort of Urban Outdoor Spaces in Residential Areas in Xi’an. Buildings 2025, 15, 1995. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15121995.
- Chen, X.; Kang, H.; Zhao, J.; Liu, Q. Optimization Design Research of Architectural Layout and Morphology in Multi-Story Dormitory Areas Based on Wind Environment Analysis. Buildings 2025, 15, 1747. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15101747.
- Li, Z.; Yu, Y.; Liu, B.; Zhang, X.; Li, T.; Shi, N.; Ren, Y. The Coupling Coordination Degree and Spatio-Temporal Divergence Between Land Urbanization and Energy Consumption Carbon Emissions of China’s Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration. Buildings 2025, 15, 1880. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15111880.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Zhao, J.; Ma, X.; Zhang, Q. Buildings’ Thermal Performance and Energy Efficiency for Sustainable Construction. Buildings 2025, 15, 3410. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15183410
AMA Style
Zhao J, Ma X, Zhang Q. Buildings’ Thermal Performance and Energy Efficiency for Sustainable Construction. Buildings. 2025; 15(18):3410. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15183410
Chicago/Turabian StyleZhao, Jingyuan, Xuan Ma, and Qian Zhang. 2025. "Buildings’ Thermal Performance and Energy Efficiency for Sustainable Construction" Buildings 15, no. 18: 3410. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15183410
APA StyleZhao, J., Ma, X., & Zhang, Q. (2025). Buildings’ Thermal Performance and Energy Efficiency for Sustainable Construction. Buildings, 15(18), 3410. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15183410
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