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Buildings
Special Issues
Development and Application in Sustainable Construction and Building Materials
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Development and Application in Sustainable Construction and Building Materials

A Special Issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309) belonging to the section "Building Materials, and Repair & Renovation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2027 | Viewed by 1440

Editor

Prof. Dr. Jose M. Vercher

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Architectural Constructions, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: advanced building materials; sustainable construction; recycled materials; waste-based materials; energy efficiency; life-cycle assessment (LCA); architectural heritage

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The development of sustainable construction materials is a key challenge in achieving a low-carbon, resource-efficient, and resilient built environment. This Special Issue aims to explore both innovative and traditional materials, with particular emphasis on advances that reduce environmental impact and enhance building performance. We welcome original research and review papers addressing solutions to lower the environmental footprint of materials, improve their performance, and promote circularity in the construction sector.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Eco-efficient binders, mortars, and concrete: Design and performance of low-carbon cements, lime-based mortars, and recycled aggregates.
  • Waste-based and recycled materials: Valorization of industrial and agricultural by-products for construction applications.
  • Bio-based and natural materials: Wood, natural fibers, and biocomposites for thermal and acoustic insulation or structural use.
  • Advanced coatings and paints: Functional surfaces and reflective or energy-efficient coatings contributing to thermal comfort and building energy performance.
  • Durability and performance assessment: Mechanical, hygrothermal, and acoustic characterization of sustainable materials.
  • Life-cycle thinking: Environmental impact evaluation, life-cycle assessment (LCA), and circular economy strategies in construction.
  • Material innovation in architecture: Integration of sustainable materials into heritage restoration and contemporary design.

We look forward to receiving your contributions and to advancing together toward a more sustainable and innovative built environment.

Prof. Dr. Jose M. Vercher
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-anonymized 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

  • sustainable construction
  • advanced building materials
  • energy efficiency
  • recycled materials
  • waste-based materials
  • bio-based materials
  • life-cycle assessment
  • architectural heritage
  • vernacular building materials

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

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  • 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 (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 4388 KB  
Article
Textile Waste as a Fabric for the Composite Cement–Textile Formwork
by Darko Pavićević, Dejan Vasović, Jefto Terzović, Bratislav Ilić, Neda Sokolović, Isidora Ilić and Nenad Šekularac
Buildings 2026, 16(18), 3632; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16183632 - 11 Sep 2026
Abstract
This paper presents an experimental study on the behavior of the bond between cotton knitted textile cut-offs and a polymer–cement binder. The first part of the research examined the influence of polymer–cement coating on the maximum tensile load of this type of textile. [...] Read more.
This paper presents an experimental study on the behavior of the bond between cotton knitted textile cut-offs and a polymer–cement binder. The first part of the research examined the influence of polymer–cement coating on the maximum tensile load of this type of textile. For this purpose, the maximum tensile force of plain textiles and polymer–cement-coated textiles, with one and two layers of textiles, was tested. The results showed that polymer–cement coating increases the maximum tensile force by an average of 36%, and double polymer–cement coating by an average of 79% compared to twice the maximum force of the textile itself. The second part of the research examined the influence of the overlap length of independent textile parts on the transfer of tensile force from one part to another. Three overlap lengths were tested: 25 mm, 38 mm and 50 mm. The results indicate the conclusion that it is possible to make a continuous polymer–cement–textile surface from knitted textile parts, and suggest that for this type of textile, an overlap length greater than 25 mm is sufficient to transfer the same order of magnitude of maximum tensile forces as for continuous textiles. Additional research is needed to more precisely determine the sufficient overlap length. This research confirmed the hypothesis that cotton knitted textile waste cut-offs could be effectively bonded with a polymer–cement binder to enable the transfer of tensile forces and used as a material for the manufacture of textile formwork. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application in Sustainable Construction and Building Materials)
16 pages, 2977 KB  
Article
Experimental Evaluation of Advanced Reflective TiO2-Based Coatings for Passive Cooling of Building Envelope Materials
by Jose Vercher, Raimon Calabuig-Moreno, Santiago Tormo-Esteve, Carlos Lerma and Cristina Camacho-Vidal
Buildings 2026, 16(14), 2907; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16142907 - 22 Jul 2026
Viewed by 929
Abstract
Space cooling is one of the fastest-growing end uses in the building sector, and reflective (“cool”) coatings have emerged as a low-cost passive strategy to limit solar heat gain through the envelope. This study evaluates the summer thermal behaviour of three building-envelope materials [...] Read more.
Space cooling is one of the fastest-growing end uses in the building sector, and reflective (“cool”) coatings have emerged as a low-cost passive strategy to limit solar heat gain through the envelope. This study evaluates the summer thermal behaviour of three building-envelope materials commonly used in flat roofing—self-protected asphalt sheet, steel sheet, and ceramic tile—under outdoor conditions in Valencia, Spain. Sealed cubic prototypes were monitored to compare uncoated reference specimens with specimens coated with a conventional high-performance white acrylic paint produced by SOETAM and with an advanced reflective coating based on a laminar TiO2 nanostructure produced by Q+TERMIK. External surface temperatures were assessed by infrared thermography and internal air temperatures by autonomous data loggers. External white coatings significantly reduced surface temperatures across all substrates, with the effect most pronounced in low-thermal-inertia materials: the advanced reflective coating achieved peak surface-temperature reductions of 21.0 °C (33.2%) for asphalt and 17.4 °C (28.8%) for steel, outperforming the high-performance coating, with corresponding internal reductions of up to 9.7 °C (22.0%) and 8.1 °C (18.6%). The results indicate that the advanced reflective coating produced greater thermal mitigation than the conventional coating under the tested outdoor conditions, despite both coatings being applied with similar thicknesses. The advanced reflective coating generally produced the greatest thermal mitigation, particularly for low-thermal-inertia substrates, while the ceramic tile exhibited a different internal thermal response, highlighting the influence of substrate properties on coating performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application in Sustainable Construction and Building Materials)
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