Sustainability in Energy and Buildings: Future Perspectives and Challenges: 2nd Edition
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Science and Technology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2026 | Viewed by 12
Special Issue Editors
Interests: climate change; buildings’ sustainability; nZEB design; renewable energies; cultural heritage preservation; buildings’ acoustics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: dynamic energy simulation; energy retrofit solutions; double skin façade; building energy requirement and comfort
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The global urgency to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions has reshaped the priorities of every sector, with the construction and building industry at the forefront of this transition. Buildings are among the largest energy consumers worldwide, and despite technological advances, energy demand in the built environment has shown a steady increase over the past two decades. Addressing this challenge is critical to achieving climate neutrality goals and ensuring a resilient, sustainable future.
Sustainability in buildings—spanning their design, construction, operation, and end-of-life—is, therefore, one of the most pressing issues of our time. It requires an integrated approach that bridges engineering, architecture, digital technologies, and environmental sciences. Alongside well-established strategies such as renewable integration, high-performance materials, and lifecycle analysis, emerging tools like artificial intelligence, digital twins, big data analytics, and smart building management systems are opening new pathways for innovation. These technologies, coupled with nature-based solutions and circular economy approaches, hold immense potential to transform buildings from passive consumers into active players in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
This Special Issue seeks to bring together cutting-edge research and visionary strategies that advance sustainability in the building sector. We invite contributions that not only address traditional themes but also explore new paradigms that push the boundaries of sustainable construction and energy systems.
The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:
- Innovative and sustainable building materials and circular construction practices;
- Passive and active building envelopes and adaptive façades;
- HVAC systems and their integration with smart/IoT-based control and automation;
- Renewable energy systems for buildings (PV, solar thermal, wind, geothermal, and hybrid systems);
- Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital twin applications for sustainable building design and operation;
- Smart grids, demand response, and building-to-grid integration;
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC), and circular economy approaches;
- Nature-based solutions and climate-resilient building strategies;
- Policy, regulation, and socio-economic perspectives on sustainable buildings.
We warmly welcome original research articles, reviews, and case studies that offer novel insights and practical solutions to accelerate the sustainable transformation of the building sector.
Prof. Dr. Sergio Montelpare
Dr. Camilla Lops
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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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
- innovative materials for buildings
- climate changes and buildings
- building adaptive solutions
- buildings skins
- smart HVAC systems
- renewable energies for buildings
- LCA and LCC
- new energy storage and distributions options
- novel sustainability strategies
- innovative building analyses
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