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Advances in Green Building and Environmental Comfort
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Advances in Green Building and Environmental Comfort

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: 15 April 2026 | Viewed by 3707

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Hee Joo POH

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of the Built Environment, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117566, Singapore
Interests: CFD; integrated environmental modelling; urban heat island; building performance and sustainability; green building; building physics and moisture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to gather high-quality research and case studies that advance the understanding and application of sustainable strategies in the built environment. We welcome contributions focused on innovations in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) applications for urban- and building-scale analysis, building energy simulation, indoor environmental quality (IEQ) assessment, and total building performance evaluation. Emphasis is also placed on sustainable energy management, green development, and the integration of digital technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) and smart systems in building design and operation.

We encourage multidisciplinary submissions that bridge engineering principles with real-world practice to support low-carbon, high-performance, and human-centric environments. Topics may include, but are not limited to, thermal comfort, ventilation performance, daylighting, energy efficiency, and digitalisation in planning and operations. This Special Issue provides a platform for sharing cutting-edge methodologies, tools, and technologies that shape the future of green buildings and sustainable urban living.

We invite researchers, practitioners, and industry professionals to contribute to this timely and impactful collection.

Dr. Hee Joo POH
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-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

  • CFD application in built environment
  • total building performance
  • building information modelling
  • building energy analysis and simulation
  • indoor environmental quality
  • sustainable energy management
  • green development
  • digitalisation in the built environment
  • integrated energy and environmental modeller
  • built environment engineering principles and practice

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  • 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.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 2056 KB  
Article
Evaluating the Performance and Efficiency of Sandwich-Insulated Concrete Block Products in the Saudi Market
by Hani Alanazi, Abdullah Alzlfawi and Mohammed Albuaymi
Buildings 2025, 15(22), 4172; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15224172 - 19 Nov 2025
Viewed by 367
Abstract
The sandwich-insulated concrete block is one of the innovative building units developed to enhance thermal insulation in buildings. However, there are still some drawbacks that hinder the optimum utilization of these types of insulating blocks. Therefore, this study aims to conduct a systematic [...] Read more.
The sandwich-insulated concrete block is one of the innovative building units developed to enhance thermal insulation in buildings. However, there are still some drawbacks that hinder the optimum utilization of these types of insulating blocks. Therefore, this study aims to conduct a systematic and comparative assessment of the performance of the sandwich-insulated concrete block available in the local market. To accurately assess the efficiency of the insulated concrete blocks, several samples from various sources available in the local market were collected and examined. Visual inspection, dimensional tolerance, compressive strength, physical properties, thermal performance, and environmental resistance tests have been conducted in accordance with local and international standards. The obtained experimental results revealed that the mixture proportion of the concrete shell plays a crucial role in the properties and performance of the whole insulated concrete block. Blocks with volcanic aggregates exhibited lower compressive strength, ranging between 3.19 and 5.26 MPa, but better thermal conductivity with an average of 0.25 W/m·K. In comparison, normal aggregate blocks showed higher compressive strength up to 8.12 MPa but slightly reduced thermal insulation around 0.44 W/m·K. Water absorption varied widely from 5% to 16%, and chloride contents in volcanic aggregates exceeded the permissible 1% limit. Broken edges and cracks were mainly observed in low-strength blocks, emphasizing the importance of proper curing and material selection. Durability assessments revealed that accelerated weathering experiments demonstrated the susceptibility of expanded and extruded polystyrene to UV-induced degradation. Nevertheless, all tested polystyrene samples showed high resistance to fungal attack, with varying antibacterial activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Green Building and Environmental Comfort)
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17 pages, 2415 KB  
Article
Quantifying Thermal Time Lag Due to PCM Plaster in Model Houses
by Mónika Ferencz, Barna Nagy, Bence Németh, János Gyenis and Tivadar Feczkó
Buildings 2025, 15(22), 4120; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15224120 - 15 Nov 2025
Viewed by 341
Abstract
Phase change materials (PCMs) integrated into building envelopes can store and release latent heat, reducing indoor temperature fluctuations and shifting thermal peaks. This study quantifies the time lag and comfort impact of PCM plaster under free-running conditions using two identical, instrumented model houses [...] Read more.
Phase change materials (PCMs) integrated into building envelopes can store and release latent heat, reducing indoor temperature fluctuations and shifting thermal peaks. This study quantifies the time lag and comfort impact of PCM plaster under free-running conditions using two identical, instrumented model houses in Bácsalmás, Hungary. One house served as a reference, while the other was retrofitted with interior PCM plaster panels on four walls (51.2 kg paraffin, ≈8.12 MJ latent heat capacity). The temperatures of the walls, indoor air, and outdoor environment were monitored every five minutes for 105 spring/summer days. Daily peak times were extracted using moving-average smoothing, and time lags between exterior and interior wall peaks were computed. The PCM house exhibited roughly double the average lag compared with the reference (≈200 vs. ≈100 min), with lag distributions well described by lognormal fits. Comfort evaluation based on exceeded degree-hours (EDH) relative to the adaptive comfort range (EN 16798-1) revealed that larger peak-time lags correlated with lower overheating. Results confirm that PCM plaster significantly delays and attenuates daily temperature peaks, extends comfort periods, and supports passive strategies such as night ventilation and demand-side load shifting in lightweight buildings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Green Building and Environmental Comfort)
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22 pages, 9328 KB  
Article
Experimental Comparison of Ventilation Strategies for Condensation Risk in Underground Wheat Granaries
by Xi Chen, Yaning Li, Shuai Jiang, Liu Yang, Yang Liu, Yahui Gao and Hao Zhang
Buildings 2025, 15(19), 3483; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15193483 - 26 Sep 2025
Viewed by 511
Abstract
Underground granaries offer natural insulation for long-term grain storage, yet spatial heterogeneity in temperature and humidity can drive condensation and degrade grain quality. To address this issue, mechanical ventilation is commonly employed, yet evidence remains limited on whether pretreating the inlet air before [...] Read more.
Underground granaries offer natural insulation for long-term grain storage, yet spatial heterogeneity in temperature and humidity can drive condensation and degrade grain quality. To address this issue, mechanical ventilation is commonly employed, yet evidence remains limited on whether pretreating the inlet air before ventilation can further reduce the risk of condensation. In order to bridge this gap, a custom-designed small-scale underground granary was employed, in which temperature and relative humidity of the grain pile, surrounding soil, and ambient air were monitored at 28 sampling points. The effectiveness of mechanical ventilation and ventilation pretreatment in reducing condensation was also assessed. Results demonstrated that during static storage, the granary was minimally affected by external conditions. Yet, a high temperature and humidity area developed at the top of the grain pile over the 24-day period of static storage. Under mechanical ventilation, local relative humidity decreased but grain temperature still responded to ambient conditions. In contrast, ventilation pretreatment stabilized inlet air, lowered peak grain temperature by 1 °C, and improved relative humidity reduction from 6% to 12%. This produced a more uniform temperature–humidity profile and markedly reduced condensation risk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Green Building and Environmental Comfort)
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Review

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30 pages, 3132 KB  
Review
A Literature Review of Sustainable Building Research: Bibliometric Analysis from 2015–2025
by Yuehong Lu, Yang Zhang, Zhijia Huang, Bo Cheng, Changlong Wang, Yanhong Sun, Hongguang Zhang and Jiao Li
Buildings 2025, 15(19), 3609; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15193609 - 8 Oct 2025
Viewed by 2087
Abstract
This study presents a novel integrative review of 329 review articles on sustainable buildings from 2015 to 2025, combining quantitative bibliometrics with qualitative insights to map the field’s evolution and pinpoint critical future pathways. Seven core research themes were identified in this study: [...] Read more.
This study presents a novel integrative review of 329 review articles on sustainable buildings from 2015 to 2025, combining quantitative bibliometrics with qualitative insights to map the field’s evolution and pinpoint critical future pathways. Seven core research themes were identified in this study: (1) material and advanced construction technologies, (2) energy efficiency and renewable energy systems, (3) digitalization and smart technologies, (4) policy, standards, and certification, (5) sustainable design and optimization, (6) stakeholder and socio-economic factors, (7) other (cross-cutting) topics. Key findings reveal a surge in publications post-2020, driven by global net-zero commitments, with China, Australia, and Hong Kong leading research output. Innovations in low-carbon materials (e.g., hemp concrete, geopolymers), artificial intelligent (AI)-driven energy optimization, and digital tools (e.g., building information modeling (BIM), internet of things (IoT)) dominate recent advancements. However, challenges persist, including policy fragmentation, scalability barriers for sustainable materials, and socio-economic disparities in green building adoption. The study proposes a unique future research framework emphasizing nanotechnology-enhanced materials, interpretable AI models, harmonized global standards, and inclusive stakeholder engagement. This review provides actionable recommendations to bridge gaps between technological innovation, policy frameworks, and practical implementation in sustainable construction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Green Building and Environmental Comfort)
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