Smart and Sustainable Buildings: Advancing Towards Net-Zero and Intelligent Control
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: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 16
Special Issue Editors
Interests: building-grid interactions and demand response; building-integrated photovoltaics; digital twins and optimization of low-carbon energy systems; risk analysis and machine learning in energy engineering
Interests: building energy management and optimization; machine learning and AI for energy systems; HVAC system fault detection and diagnosis; energy prediction and load forecasting; demand response and smart grid
Interests: energy decarbonization; optimal control; edge computing and distributed systems; internet of things (IoT); machine learning and artificial intelligence
Interests: building energy system management; low-energy building; renewable energy utilization; building environment control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Buildings account for nearly 40% of global energy consumption and 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. In response to climate imperatives, Zero-Energy Buildings (ZEBs) have emerged as a transformative solution to decarbonize the built environment. Achieving net-zero energy consumption is a complex challenge, requiring interdisciplinary research and innovative solutions across various domains, from architectural design and engineering systems to policy frameworks and occupant behavior. While significant progress has been made, there remain considerable challenges, including technological integration, cost-effectiveness, performance gaps between design and operation, grid interaction, and scalability. The application of Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and advanced data analytics offers promising pathways to address these issues by enabling smarter control, predictive maintenance, and optimized energy flows.
This Special Issue aims to address these challenges by showcasing the latest advancements, cutting-edge research, and practical applications that are pushing the boundaries of ZEB realization. We seek contributions that bridge theoretical models with real-world applications for achieving robust, cost-effective net-zero energy performance and grid interaction across new and retrofitted buildings. This issue directly supports the Buildings focus on sustainable energy systems, building physics, and climate-responsive design. By showcasing interdisciplinary advances in ZEBs, we reinforce the journal’s mission to publish transformative research that tackles energy challenges while promoting environmental resilience.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Innovative ZEB Design & Materials: Passive heating/cooling, high-performance facades, phase-change materials.
- Renewable Integration: Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), micro-wind, geothermal hybridization.
- Machine Learning and Smart Control: Application of machine learning and AI for energy systems, including energy prediction and load forecasting, HVAC system fault detection and diagnosis (FDD), IoT-enabled energy management, predictive control, and digital twins for ZEB optimization.
- Grid-Interactive and Responsive Buildings: Demand response and smart grid integration, net-zero building microgrids, vehicle-to-building (V2B) systems, and advanced thermal/electrochemical storage.
- Policy & Economics: Cost-benefit analysis of ZEB technologies, carbon-neutral certification frameworks, and incentives for smart buildings.
- Human-Centric Approaches: Occupant behavior modeling, thermal comfort, and indoor environmental quality in ZEBs.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Hong Tang
Dr. Zhe Chen
Dr. Wenzhuo Li
Dr. Yanxue Li
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. 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
- ZEB design & materials
- smart building control
- building demand response
- renewable energy integration
- policy and economics of ZEB
- human-centric approaches
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