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Research on Green and Low-Carbon Buildings
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Research on Green and Low-Carbon 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: closed (31 July 2024) | Viewed by 10165

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jia Wei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Economics and Finance, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China
Interests: environmental and energy economics; low-carbon economy and management; consumption behavior; consumer psychology; green and low-carbon buildings
Dr. Qun Feng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Business, University of Jinan, Jinan 250002, China
Interests: green development management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue of the open access journal Buildings that will be dedicated to “Research on Green and Low-Carbon Buildings”. Buildings account for more than 30% of the global end-use energy consumption and energy-related CO2 emissions. Despite this, the sector has a huge opportunity to reduce emissions and strong economic advantages for doing so. Green buildings, low-carbon buildings, and building energy conservation are facing new challenges and requirements as a result of the implementation of mandatory standards, which have been made possible by the comprehensive development of green building technology, green building materials and building energy conservation. The goal of this Special Issue is to research the development of green and low-carbon buildings. This Special Issue welcomes original experimental research, numerical simulations, and reviews on all facets of green and low-carbon buildings. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Zero/low-carbon buildings and zero/low-carbon communities;
  • Green buildings;
  • Building energy and economic analysis;
  • Building embodied energy and life-cycle analysis;
  • Energy demands, consumption, and balances in the built environment;
  • The willingness and capability of the public to pay for green housing;
  • Links between building environmental quality, energy conservation, and health;
  • Building energy consumption policy and building energy saving behavior.

Dr. Jia Wei
Dr. Qun Feng
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

  • green and near-zero energy buildings
  • low-carbon buildings
  • lifecycle analysis
  • carbon neutral
  • sustainable behavior
  • willingness to pay for green housing
  • building information modeling
  • healthy indoor environment
  • energy conservation

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • 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.
  • 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 (6 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 4164 KiB  
Article
Evolutionary Game Analysis for Promoting the Realization of Construction Waste Recycling and Resource Utilization: Based on a Multi-Agent Collaboration Perspective
by Wenxuan Song, Guisheng Hou, Lei Yang, Pengmin Wang and Yanlu Guo
Buildings 2024, 14(8), 2368; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14082368 - 1 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1413
Abstract
Excessive growth or improper disposal of construction waste can lead to negative consequences such as environmental destruction and waste of resources. The policy practice of construction waste reduction and resource utilization is facing challenging issues. Construction enterprises (also constructors of construction waste) and [...] Read more.
Excessive growth or improper disposal of construction waste can lead to negative consequences such as environmental destruction and waste of resources. The policy practice of construction waste reduction and resource utilization is facing challenging issues. Construction enterprises (also constructors of construction waste) and building material manufacturers (also recyclers of construction waste) play significant roles in the system of construction waste recycling and resource utilization. However, they are often absent or out of position in most cases. Therefore, this study constructs an evolutionary game model and conducts numerical simulation analysis, aiming to clarify the interactive relationship between their interests and government policy implementation, promote the formation of a cooperative system for construction waste management, and facilitate the achievement of ultimate governance objectives. The research results show that: (1) Current collaboration in construction waste management has fallen into a dilemma of relying solely on government efforts, resulting in inefficient or ineffective policy implementation. (2) The government can change the current situation and achieve better policy outcomes by taking measures such as increasing the income of recycled construction waste products, increasing fines for violations, and lowering industry entry barriers. (3) Different optimization measures vary in the speed at which they promote the evolutionary game system to evolve into a stable and ideal strategic combination. In comparison, increasing the market price of recycled products and increasing their sales volume are more effective optimization strategies. The process and conclusions of this study provide valuable reference and inspiration for the government to formulate construction waste management policies and optimize their policy implementation plans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Green and Low-Carbon Buildings)
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21 pages, 8424 KiB  
Article
Investigation of the Long-Term Performance of Waste Backfill Materials of High Thermal Conductivity in Vertical Ground Heat Exchangers
by Ruichun Wu, Panpan Chen, Xinye Liu, Haiqiang Xu, Guozhu Zhang and Ankang Chen
Buildings 2024, 14(6), 1699; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14061699 - 7 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 867
Abstract
Backfill material used as a heat-transfer medium in boreholes of ground heat exchangers (GHEs) has a great influence on heat-transfer efficiency. Abandoned waste material causing environmental pollution has become a key issue around the world. To make full use of solid waste, backfill [...] Read more.
Backfill material used as a heat-transfer medium in boreholes of ground heat exchangers (GHEs) has a great influence on heat-transfer efficiency. Abandoned waste material causing environmental pollution has become a key issue around the world. To make full use of solid waste, backfill material made of waste fly ash in combination with graphite of high thermal conductivity was proposed. First, the thermal properties of cement/fly ash blended with different mass ratio of graphite were tested through laboratory tests. Then, a numerical model was established, in which the accuracy was validated based on a field test. Finally, an investigation of the long-term performance (over a period of 90 days) for four boreholes backfilled with natural sand, cement/fly ash, and cement/fly ash combined with different proportions of graphite was conducted through this numerical model, and the heat-transfer rates under constant inlet temperature in four boreholes decreased from 13.31, 44.97, 45.95, and 46.73 W/m to 14.18, 14.96, 15.66, and 16.19 W/m after the 90-day operation. Considering the influence of groundwater seepage, the horizontal groundwater flow had a positive impact, improving the long-term heat-transfer performance. The heat-transfer rates of four testing boreholes decreased from 44.46, 46.38, 47.22, and 47.68 W/m to 21.18, 21.93, 22.62, and 23.13 W/m. However, long-term groundwater seepage in a vertical direction caused a sharp decrease in the heat-transfer rate, and the values after 90 days were 10.44, 10.62, 10.78, and 10.81 W/m, which were the lowest of all the working conditions. The feasibility of using fly ash blended with graphite as backfill material was further validated through a comprehensive perspective, including indoor laboratory, field testing, and numerical simulation, which has rarely been conducted in previous research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Green and Low-Carbon Buildings)
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19 pages, 283 KiB  
Article
Do Government Subsidies Induce Green Transition of Construction Industry? Evidence from Listed Firms in China
by Feifei Zhang, Bingquan Liu and Guixin An
Buildings 2024, 14(5), 1261; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14051261 - 30 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1752
Abstract
The construction industry is a major energy consumer and carbon emitter, and identifying the key drivers for its green transition has attracted increasing attention. Although government subsidies are one of the most effective and direct ways to induce a green transition, few academics [...] Read more.
The construction industry is a major energy consumer and carbon emitter, and identifying the key drivers for its green transition has attracted increasing attention. Although government subsidies are one of the most effective and direct ways to induce a green transition, few academics have examined their effects at a micro level. Therefore, this study used the Chinese construction industry as an example to study the influence of subsidies on its green transition. Given the ambiguity of the green transition concept, this study employed the number of green patents and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ratings to represent the narrow sense and the wide sense of green transition, respectively. According to the empirical findings, subsidies can successfully induce green technology innovation and thus facilitate a green transition. The results of heterogeneity analysis show that government subsidies have a significant incentive-based effect solely on state-owned firms, but an insufficient effect on private and other enterprises. Furthermore, while government subsidies have little effect on ESG ratings, they can promote green transition of enterprises by increasing ESG ratings. The government should increase the types of subsidy packages available to enterprises, while attaching more importance to social responsibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Green and Low-Carbon Buildings)
22 pages, 7018 KiB  
Article
Carbon Emission Accounting Model for Comprehensive Medical Facilities Based on Population Flow
by Xikang Yan, Qinyu Luo, Zeyu Chen, Yunhan Yan, Tian Qiu and Peng Cheng
Buildings 2024, 14(3), 748; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14030748 - 10 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1481
Abstract
China is striving to reach a peak in its carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. The accurate accounting of carbon emissions is important for achieving these dual carbon goals. An extensive literature review and field measurements were conducted [...] Read more.
China is striving to reach a peak in its carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. The accurate accounting of carbon emissions is important for achieving these dual carbon goals. An extensive literature review and field measurements were conducted to investigate the specific impact of population density on carbon emissions in large integrated healthcare organizations. This research uses VOSviewer to visualize the literature analysis. We determined that the flow of people is a key factor affecting carbon emissions during the operational phase of large-scale comprehensive medical institutions. Through field measurements, the relationship between the density of pedestrian flow and indoor environment measurements was derived, and the incremental equipment operating loads caused by changes in the indoor environment were analyzed. Using the carbon emission factor method advocated by the IPCC, a carbon emission accounting model based on different flow intervals was constructed, and the energy consumption of different equipment was fully considered according to its proportion. The validation results showed that the error between the calculated value and the actual values of the model was 3.07% (less than 5%), which has good validity. The model calculates the direct and indirect carbon emissions in the operational phase based on the population flow perspective, which can provide a reference for the energy-saving design and green operation of large-scale comprehensive medical institutions. The research will continue to focus on the population flow, and the accounting model will be further optimized through machine learning algorithms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Green and Low-Carbon Buildings)
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21 pages, 5188 KiB  
Article
In Search for Untapped Energy-Saving Potential in Green and Smart Higher Educational Buildings—An Empirical Case Study Involving the Building Occupants
by Katarina Bäcklund, Marco Molinari and Per Lundqvist
Buildings 2023, 13(12), 3103; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13123103 - 14 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1699
Abstract
Energy-intense activities and the unpredictable and complex behavior of building occupants lead to an increase in building energy demand. It is, therefore, crucial to study underlying factors for building energy demand related to the users. Higher educational buildings are relevant to study for [...] Read more.
Energy-intense activities and the unpredictable and complex behavior of building occupants lead to an increase in building energy demand. It is, therefore, crucial to study underlying factors for building energy demand related to the users. Higher educational buildings are relevant to study for several reasons: they host the future workforce and citizens, they are predicted to increase in numbers, and they represent a building type less studied. Furthermore, green-rated buildings equipped with smart building systems also represent a research gap that is relevant to address since such a building design involves IoT-functionalities and digital features for the building occupants to interact with. There is also a conceivable risk that if the users know that the building is green-rated and technologically advanced, this may alter their perception of the building operation and thus their behavior. To study the relationship between building occupants and such green and smart educational structure, a survey was conducted in a Swedish higher educational building; as a result, 300 responses were collected and analyzed. The responses revealed that the building occupants act with energy awareness, and they are conscious about energy-saving behaviors. One building feature in particular was studied: the Digital Room Panels (DRPs). The DRP allows the building occupants to modify the indoor temperature and is, therefore, essential for thermal comfort. One key finding from the survey revealed that 70% of the building occupants did not know how the DRPs operate. This study argues that this result can be explained with a lack of communication and user friendliness. Inadequate interactions with building systems could also result in opportunities for energy saving might not be realized. The findings of this case study led to valuable recommendations and suggestions for future research endeavors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Green and Low-Carbon Buildings)
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16 pages, 3403 KiB  
Article
Incentives for Promoting Safety in the Chinese Construction Industry
by Qun Feng, Kun Wang, Yulong Feng, Xuejun Shi, Yilin Rao and Jia Wei
Buildings 2023, 13(6), 1446; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13061446 - 1 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2065
Abstract
Construction accidents occur frequently in China because the supervision of safety standards mandated by the government has not had its intended effect. In this paper, the authors propose a model to incentivize the management of safety during construction that involves the government as [...] Read more.
Construction accidents occur frequently in China because the supervision of safety standards mandated by the government has not had its intended effect. In this paper, the authors propose a model to incentivize the management of safety during construction that involves the government as well as the owners and contractors in the industry. This study analyzes the principal–agent relationship involving each participant to determine their utility function and the minimum constraints on their participation, and uses this to obtain the optimal parameters to incentivize the management of safety during construction by solving for the ones related to the contractor’s effort and reward for their performance in the proposed model of incentives. Through the design of contractor incentive parameters and owner incentive parameters to further influence the government contractor and owner tripartite safety incentive model to make the model more perfect and in line with the development status of China. This study tested the proposed model using simulations. The results indicated that increasing the cost coefficient and level of the contractor’s effort increases their expected safety-related benefits, and increasing the coefficients of reward and punishment by the government reduces the contractor’s expected safety-related benefits. Moreover, the government can motivate the management of safety during construction by offering appropriate rewards and punishments. In particular, if the government increases incentives for safety, the safety-related benefits for owners and contractors decrease in the short term but increase significantly in the long term. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Green and Low-Carbon Buildings)
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