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Research on Sustainable Energy Performance of Green Buildings
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Research on Sustainable Energy Performance of Green Buildings

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: 20 September 2025 | Viewed by 1648

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Víctor Echarri-Iribarren

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Architecture, International University of Catalunya, Carrer Iradier 22, 08017 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: energy efficiency; environmental impacts; life cycle asessment (LCA); indoor air quality (IAQ); conditioning through radiant systems; passive conditioning systems; HVAC

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The promotion, construction, and management of buildings throughout their life cycle is one of the most relevant factors in the challenge of preserving our planet and bequeathing it in the best environmental condition to future generations. In order to meet the challenges of combating the climate emergency, avoiding environmental deterioration and the global warming trend, in-depth and systematic research is required. This will generate effective solutions for constructing green buildings with lower global warming potential, reduced environmental impact, and net-zero emissions. The space in this Special Issue focuses mainly on:

  • Management technologies that lead to demonstrable energy savings;
  • Passive conditioning systems;
  • HVAC systems;
  • Sanitary hot water production (DHW) and storage tanks;
  • Alternative energies—photovoltaic panels, geothermal energy, aerothermal energy, wind turbines, solar cooling;
  • Radiant systems—PPR capillary tube mats;
  • Water cycle management;
  • Prioritization of investments and circular economy.

Multidisciplinary research on buildings during their life cycle is expected in various areas, such as recyclable and low embodied energy materials or building technologies. The aim is to compile high-quality articles to promote the development of low-energy, low-CO2-emission, and environmentally friendly buildings.

Prof. Dr. Víctor Echarri-Iribarren
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 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. 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

  • energy efficiency
  • environmental impacts
  • indoor air quality
  • life cycle asessment (LCA)
  • radiant systems
  • payback period
  • water cycle management

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  • 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.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1129 KiB  
Article
The Cradle-to-Gate Life Cycle Assessment on Hardwood Lumber Production in New Brunswick, Canada
by Nadia Zahabi, Meng Gong, Hongmei Gu and Janet Blackadar
Buildings 2025, 15(3), 499; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15030499 - 5 Feb 2025
Viewed by 729
Abstract
This case study conducted a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) on the production of hardwood lumber in New Brunswick, Canada, evaluating the environmental impacts from raw material extraction to the point where lumber exited the mill as rough green lumber, the primary input [...] Read more.
This case study conducted a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) on the production of hardwood lumber in New Brunswick, Canada, evaluating the environmental impacts from raw material extraction to the point where lumber exited the mill as rough green lumber, the primary input for manufacturing pallets and railway ties. Data on annual production, material flow, and energy use for harvesting and sawmilling were gathered through survey questionnaires and on-site visits. The life cycle inventory (LCI) was developed in SimaPro software, the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) was conducted using the North American TRACI method to quantify impact categories, and the cumulative energy demand (CED) method was employed to analyze the total energy consumption. It was found that rough green hardwood lumber production emitted approximately 41 kg CO2−eq/m3 (excluding biogenic carbon storage), with manufacturing accounting for 42% of total emissions and consuming 736 MJ/m3 of total energy, 98% of which came from non-renewable sources. The carbon stored in lumber was 975 CO2 eq/m3, 24 times greater than its cradle-to-gate emissions, highlighting its significant environmental benefit. Future research will aim to conduct a cradle-to-grave LCA on hardwood production by including drying and planing and increase the number of sawmill samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Sustainable Energy Performance of Green Buildings)
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Review

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28 pages, 36222 KiB  
Review
Technical Review of Solar Distribution Calculation Methods: Enhancing Simulation Accuracy for High-Performance and Sustainable Buildings
by Ana Paula de Almeida Rocha, Ricardo C. L. F. Oliveira and Nathan Mendes
Buildings 2025, 15(4), 578; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15040578 - 13 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 578
Abstract
Solar energy utilization in buildings can significantly contribute to energy savings and enhance on-site energy production. However, excessive solar gains may lead to overheating, thereby increasing cooling demands. Accurate calculation of sunlit and shaded areas is essential for optimizing solar technologies and improving [...] Read more.
Solar energy utilization in buildings can significantly contribute to energy savings and enhance on-site energy production. However, excessive solar gains may lead to overheating, thereby increasing cooling demands. Accurate calculation of sunlit and shaded areas is essential for optimizing solar technologies and improving the precision of building energy simulations. This paper provides a review of the solar shading calculation methods used in building performance simulation (BPS) tools, focusing on the progression from basic trigonometric models to advanced techniques such as projection and clipping (PgC) and pixel counting (PxC). These advancements have improved the accuracy and efficiency of solar shading simulations, enhancing energy performance and occupant comfort. As building designs evolve and adaptive shading systems become more common, challenges remain in ensuring that these methods can handle complex geometries and dynamic solar exposure. The PxC method, leveraging modern GPUs and parallel computing, offers a solution by providing real-time high-resolution simulations, even for irregular, non-convex surfaces. This ability to handle continuous updates positions PxC as a key tool for next-generation building energy simulations, ensuring that shading systems can adjust to changing solar conditions. Future research could focus on integrating appropriate modeling approaches with AI technologies to enhance accuracy, reliability, and computational efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Sustainable Energy Performance of Green Buildings)
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