Cold-Formed Steel Structures: Innovations in Analysis, Design and Performance
A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Materials, and Repair & Renovation".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 9
Special Issue Editors
Interests: steel structures; thin-walled structures; optimisation of steel sections; innovative steel products and systems; fire safety of buildings; aluminium structures; lightweight concrete; enhanced plasterboard; modular building systems; advanced numerical modelling; fibre composites for retrofitting and rehabilitation of structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: 3D printed structures; fire and energy performances of structures; cold-formed steel structures; machine learning methods in structural engineering
Interests: innovative construction materials; cold-formed steel structures; advanced numerical modelling; fire safety of buildings; steel-concrete and steel-timber composite structures; 3D-printed concrete structures; sustainability in construction; AI aided structural design
Interests: novel materials; cold-formed steel structures; advanced construction techniques and sustainable methodologies; modern methods of construction; modular buildings; advanced concrete technology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cold-formed steel (CFS) members have become an integral part of modern construction, serving as both primary and secondary load-bearing elements in a wide range of building applications. Their widespread adoption is driven by unique advantages, including a high strength-to-weight ratio, efficient material usage, adaptability in cross-sectional shapes, precise dimensional control, recyclability, and overall construction efficiency. Recent developments in advanced manufacturing, automation, and digital fabrication have further enhanced the versatility of CFS systems. In parallel, progress in high-fidelity finite element modelling, artificial intelligence-driven optimisation, and performance-based design methods has significantly advanced our understanding of their behaviour under diverse loading and environmental conditions.
The 21st century has also brought new challenges, ranging from climate change and resource scarcity to demands for resilient, low-carbon infrastructure, which are reshaping the research landscape. CFS technology is becoming increasingly intersected with modular and off-site construction, hybrid structural systems (e.g., steel–concrete and steel–timber), and additive manufacturing. Research is also moving towards holistic performance evaluation, integrating structural, thermal, acoustic, fire, and sustainability metrics into unified design approaches.
This Special Issue seeks to showcase the latest research and innovations in cold-formed steel that address these evolving demands and expand the boundaries of structural engineering. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Structural optimisation and AI-assisted design of cold-formed steel members.
- Innovative and hybrid CFS products, including steel–timber and steel–concrete systems.
- Structural response under bending, shear, web crippling, compression, combined actions, and dynamic loading.
- Advanced numerical modelling, digital twins, and simulation-based design.
- Seismic and impact resilience of CFS structures.
- Fire, energy, and thermal performance of cold-formed steel-framed panels.
- Novel connection and fastening technologies for modern construction systems.
- Modular, prefabricated, and 3D-printed CFS applications.
- Sustainability, life-cycle assessment, and climate adaptation strategies for CFS structures.
Contributions exploring interdisciplinary approaches or emerging technologies relevant to cold-formed steel are strongly encouraged.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Keerthan Poologanathan
Dr. Irindu Upasiri
Dr. Sifan M. Ibrahim
Dr. Heshachanaa Rajanayagam
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
- cold-formed steel structures
- experimental study
- advanced numerical modelling
- machine learning
- extreme loadings
- design innovation
- connections
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