Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Architecture
A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Architectural Design, Urban Science, and Real Estate".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 174
Special Issue Editors
Interests: sustainable architecture; carbon-neutral buildings; biophilic design; bio-inspired design; nature positive built environment; human-building interaction; life cycle assessment
Interests: architecture and health; daylight, biophilic design; nature positive built environment; responsive urban environments; sustainable architecture
Interests: heritage; reuse; sustainability; natural and regenerative materials; vernacular architecture; traditional building methods; construction history; new technologies for the built heritage
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The definition of sustainable architecture is undergoing continuous evolution. For many years, the concept was initially primarily equated with energy efficiency and later with the concept of resource consumption reduction, aimed at minimizing environmental impact within broader climate change mitigation strategies. However, the accelerating pace of environmental phenomena, coupled with the limited effectiveness of global interventions, is increasingly shifting the discourse toward a conception of sustainability that emphasizes the capacity of the built environment to adapt to a transformed context and support, over time, the health of both humans and the planet.
Recent research highlights significant opportunities for the built environment to generate (and re-generate) positive impacts for people—particularly as the global urban population continues to grow—and natural ecosystems, which are under increasing threat from biodiversity loss.
Advancements in technology now allow for the measurement of such impacts, while the expanding availability of data—empowered by AI—enables the integration of knowledge across more and diverse disciplinary fields. This convergence is fostering the emergence of new paradigms for the design, construction, and management of the built environment, which is increasingly intelligent and will become, ideally, genuinely sustainable.
The main aim of this Special Issue is to explore the recent challenges and developments of innovative approaches to sustainable architecture. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Bio-based materials and construction technologies;
- Circular economy approaches in the built environment;
- Evidence-based design methods and tools;
- Integrated sustainable design approaches;
- Measurement of human performance and well-being in buildings;
- Measurement of the impacts of buildings on ecosystems;
- Nature-based solutions;
- Demonstrations of biophilic design approaches for buildings and cities;
- Human–nature interactions in the built environment;
- Future-proofing the existing building stock;
- Sustainable, regenerative approaches in urban and rural areas.
Prof. Dr. Giuliana Iannaccone
Prof. Dr. Eugenia-Victoria Ellis
Dr. Clara Pimenta Do Vale
Dr. Dima Albadra
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
- architecture
- architectural engineering
- bio-based materials
- climate change
- regenerative design
- built environment
- health and well-being
- smart buildings
- environmental impacts
- biodiversity
- evidence-based design
- human-nature interaction
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