Next-Generation Building Materials and Technologies for a Sustainable Built Environment

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: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 643

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Wood Materials Science, Institute for Building Materials, ETH Zürich, Laura-Hezner-Weg 7, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
Interests: CO2 capture and utilization; sustainable and renewable resources; energy-efficient building materials; functional wood materials
Department of Wood Science, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Interests: building retrofits for climate change; building performance simulation including energy consumption, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality; building energy efficiency analysis across scales; surrogate modelling; whole building life cycle assessment; data analysis
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Energy-efficient buildings have attracted increasing attention due to their potential to significantly reduce energy consumption and contribute to climate change mitigation. Novel building materials, construction methods, and smart technologies are playing critical roles in advancing the design and performance of such buildings. However, a substantial knowledge gap remains between the development of energy-efficient building solutions and the comprehensive assessment of their environmental impacts.

To address this gap, this Special Issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research that advances our understanding and implementation of sustainable, energy-efficient building solutions. We invite authors to submit original research articles, case studies, and reviews focusing on recent developments in the following areas:

  • Passive building design and strategies;
  • Smart building technologies and integrated systems;
  • High-performance and renewable building materials;
  • Renewable energy systems for buildings;
  • Holistic approaches to environmental and life cycle assessments in building design.

We particularly encourage contributions that emphasize interdisciplinary approaches, practical applications, and innovations that support the development of a more sustainable built environment.

We look forward to receiving your contributions and working together to promote advancements in this critical field.

Dr. Yong Ding
Dr. Danlin Hou
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 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-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 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 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

  • smart building technologies
  • passive building design
  • high-performance building materials
  • renewable energy systems
  • building information modeling (BIM)
  • building energy modeling (BEM)
  • life cycle assessment (LCA)
  • energy efficiency
  • sustainability
  • insulation
  • ventilation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

24 pages, 2107 KB  
Review
Life Cycle Assessment of Engineered Wood Products in the Building Sector: A Review
by Ciyuan Jin, Shiyao Zhu and Haibo Feng
Buildings 2025, 15(22), 4193; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15224193 - 20 Nov 2025
Viewed by 512
Abstract
Engineered wood products have become key sustainable alternatives to conventional building materials, offering strong potential for reducing climate impacts in the construction sector. This review systematically assesses recent life cycle assessment studies on engineered wood products to compare their environmental performance and support [...] Read more.
Engineered wood products have become key sustainable alternatives to conventional building materials, offering strong potential for reducing climate impacts in the construction sector. This review systematically assesses recent life cycle assessment studies on engineered wood products to compare their environmental performance and support low-carbon building practices. The peer-reviewed literature published over the past decade was analyzed for publication trends, geographic focus, and methodological approaches, including goal and scope definition, life cycle inventory, and life cycle impact assessment. Comparative analyses examined climate change impact and key parameters influencing environmental outcomes. Results indicate a steady growth of research in this field, led by China, the United States, and Europe. Volume-based functional units (e.g., 1 m3) are predominant in structural wood studies, while mass-based units are more common for composites. Cradle-to-gate boundaries are most frequently used, and data are primarily drawn from Ecoinvent, Environmental Product Declarations, and regional databases such as GaBi and CLCD. Common impact assessment methods include CML-IA, ReCiPe, and TRACI, with climate change identified as the core impact category. Cross-laminated timber and glue-laminated timber consistently show lower and more stable climate change impacts, while fiberboards exhibit higher and more variable results due to adhesive content and energy-intensive manufacturing. Key factors influencing environmental outcomes include service life, wood species, and material sourcing. The review highlights the need for standardized methodologies and further exploration of emerging products, such as nail-laminated and dowel-laminated timber and laminated bamboo, to improve comparability and inform sustainable design practices. Full article
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