Digital Design and Impact Assessment of New Building Materials
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2026 | Viewed by 2409
Editor
Interests: architectural materials; built environment sustainability; materials for energy; digital impact assessment for the built environment; digital twins; VR/AR tools for co-creation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to this Special Issue on “Digital Design and Impact Assessment of New Building Materials”. According to 2019 UN estimations, 77% of the world’s GDP is produced in cities consuming 71% of the global energy production. Adding indirect energy consumption related to human inhabitants in cities, the figure rises to 82% of the world’s CO2 emissions. Therefore, ensuring an efficient use of energy in urban environments could contribute 10 to 30% of the world’s expected carbon reduction in the next 5 years.
In this Special Issue, you will find cutting-edge research and innovations in the field of architectural materials. As the built environment continues to evolve, the demand for materials that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also sustainable, durable, and versatile has never been greater. This Special Issue brings together pioneering studies that address these multifaceted challenges, offering insights into the development and application of advanced materials in architecture. The papers featured in this Special Issue cover the following topics:
- Incorporation of bio-based composites, recycled materials, and low-carbon alternatives to reduce environmental impact.
- Development of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) with enhanced strength, durability, and resistance to extreme conditions.
- Multifunctional smart materials with responsive properties such as self-healing, shape-memory, and phase-change capabilities for adaptive building environments.
- Utilization of nanotechnology to optimize material properties, including increased strength, thermal insulation, and antibacterial features.
- Additive manufacturing techniques for creating custom, complex structures with reduced waste and faster construction times.
- Advanced light-weight composites for improved structural performance and weight reduction.
- Energy materials embedded in architectural substrates with superior thermal insulation, photovoltaic energy generation, and electric energy storage.
- Transparent conductive materials for energy-efficient windows that can generate electricity and regulate heat and light transmission.
- Bioinspired materials to achieve superior performance in terms of strength, flexibility, and sustainability.
- Advanced multifunctional coatings providing new functionalities such as self-cleaning, anti-reflective, and anti-corrosion to building surfaces.
- Modular and prefabricated materials for faster assembly, reduced costs, and enhanced precision.
- Green lightweight roofing materials to enhance urban biodiversity and manage stormwater.
- Digital design and impact assessment of new building materials.
- AI-led design and impact assessment of sustainable construction materials—from machine learning to Industry 4.0.
This Special Issue aims at inspiring architects, engineers, and materials scientists to explore new possibilities and collaborations. It underscores the critical role of material innovation in shaping the future of architecture, promoting environmentally responsible practices, following the New European Bauhaus principles. We hope that this collection will serve as a catalyst for ongoing research and development in advanced architecture materials.
Dr. Javier Orozco-Messana
Guest Editor
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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
- cellular materials
- bio-inspired design
- hybrid design
- material functionalization
- PCM
- modular design
- building circularity
- nanomaterials
- energy materials
- green materials
- additive manufacturing
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
