Advances in Decarbonization and Circularity in the Built Environment
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Civil Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2026 | Viewed by 28
Special Issue Editors
Interests: embodied energy; sustainability; green building; refurbishment; low-carbon design; design for disassembly; dry construction design; reversible construction; LCA approach; circular economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA); life cycle assessment–life cycle cost and social LCA building; sustainable building rating systems; tools supporting the circular economy
Interests: digital twin; artificial intelligence; asset management; project and risk management; building information modelling; energy retrofit
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Sustainable architecture is a design approach that seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings through efficiency, responsible resource use, and thoughtful integration with the natural environment.
This Special Issue will feature cutting-edge research and review articles on methods, approaches, and practical case studies for the decarbonization of the built environment throughout the entire life cycle of a building—from design to demolition—to reduce environmental impact and improve quality of life.
Special attention will be given to solutions focused on the following aspects:
- Circular design approaches in building architecture
- Selection of building materials supported by carbon footprint assessments and/or LCA-based evaluations
- Whole-life carbon assessments of buildings;
Contributions on the following topics will be considered:
- Sustainable building materials:
Natural, renewable, and recyclable materials (such as certified wood, clay, cork, and hemp are used) or innovative materials (such as bioplastics and structures created from recycling), reducing the use of nonrenewable resources and waste generation, focusing on the design, construction, and monitoring of sustainable building systems.
- Energy efficiency and water consumption:
Strategies adopted to reduce energy consumption with emphasis on passive design, integration of renewable sources, reduction in water consumption, and reuse of rainwater.
- Bioclimatic architecture:
Buildings in harmony with the local climate, using natural resources
to optimize living comfort and reduce energy consumption.
- Health and well-being:
Building design to ensure physical and mental health through indoor air, natural light, thermal comfort, and acoustics. Outdoor spaces that promote access to nature, social interaction, and physical activity for holistic wellness.
- Environmental impact analysis
Evaluations of buildings’ effects on air, water, soil, and ecosystems to minimize pollution, resource use, and carbon footprint throughout their life cycle.
Dr. Giacomo Di Ruocco
Dr. Elisabetta Palumbo
Dr. Fulvio Re Cecconi
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. 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
- building LCA
- zero CDW
- bioclimatic design
- life quality
- environmental impacts mitigation
- local supply chain
- circular economy
- environmental, social and economic sustainability
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