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Research on the Environmental Impact Throughout the Life Cycle of...
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Research on the Environmental Impact Throughout the Life Cycle of 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: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 1388

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yijun Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Built Environment, Massey University, Albany 0632, New Zealand
Interests: life cycle assessment; building decarbonisation; building design; digital technologies; off-site construction
Dr. Mingxue Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, Australia
Interests: construction and demolition (C&D) waste; recycled concrete and sustainability.
Dr. Lei Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University, Kingswood, NSW 2747, Australia
Interests: life cycle energy; recycled concrete; sustainability
Dr. Linna Geng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University, Kingswood, Sydney, NSW 2747, Australia
Interests: digital construction; sustainable buildings; construction circularity; modular construction; construction project management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The building and construction sector is one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, resource consumption, and waste generation. As the world transitions toward sustainable development and decarbonization, understanding and mitigating the environmental impacts of buildings throughout their entire life cycle has become more critical than ever. This Special Issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research on assessing, reducing, and managing the environmental impacts of buildings from cradle to grave—including design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and end-of-life stages. We welcome contributions that advance the scientific understanding, methodologies, and practical applications related to life cycle assessment (LCA), carbon footprint analysis, circular economy approaches, sustainable construction materials, and innovative building technologies.

Topics of interest may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Whole life cycle assessment (LCA) of buildings;
  • Embodied carbon and operational carbon analysis;
  • Advances in LCA databases, tools, and methodologies for buildings;
  • Life cycle energy and resource consumption;
  • Integration of renewable energy systems in buildings and their life cycle impacts;
  • Environmental impacts of construction materials and products;
  • Circular economy strategies in the built environment;
  • Waste minimization and construction demolition waste management from a life cycle perspective;
  • Design for deconstruction, reuse, and recycling;
  • Carbon reduction strategies in building design and construction;
  • Innovations in sustainable construction practices and materials;
  • Policy frameworks and regulations influencing life cycle impacts;
  • Case studies of low-carbon or net-zero buildings;
  • Integration of LCA with building information modelling (BIM);
  • Digital technologies supporting life cycle environmental analysis (e.g., BIM, digital twins);
  • Environmental impacts of off-site, modular, and prefabricated construction;
  • Environmental trade-offs between different materials and construction techniques.

Dr. Yijun Zhou
Dr. Mingxue Ma
Dr. Lei Liu
Dr. Linna Geng
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

  • life cycle assessment (LCA)
  • embodied carbon
  • operational carbon
  • environmental impact assessment
  • circular economy in construction
  • sustainable building materials
  • decarbonization of buildings
  • building sustainability
  • design for disassembly

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 1835 KB  
Article
Key Construction Materials for a Streamlined Building Life Cycle Assessment: A Meta-Analysis of 100 G-SEED Projects
by Sungmo Seo, Taehyoung Kim, Chang U Chae and Jin-chul Park
Buildings 2025, 15(17), 3039; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15173039 - 26 Aug 2025
Viewed by 570
Abstract
As operational emissions decrease due to improved energy efficiency, reducing embodied carbon in buildings has become increasingly important. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely used method to quantify these impacts. However, its implementation often remains data-intensive and time-consuming due to the need [...] Read more.
As operational emissions decrease due to improved energy efficiency, reducing embodied carbon in buildings has become increasingly important. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely used method to quantify these impacts. However, its implementation often remains data-intensive and time-consuming due to the need for detailed material inventories. This study analyzes 100 LCA reports submitted for G-SEED certification in South Korea to identify a core set of construction materials that accounts for most of the total material mass. Unlike previous approaches that relied on 99% cumulative mass thresholds, this study introduces a function-based classification framework considering both material roles and environmental impact intensity, offering a novel pathway for simplifying LCA. The findings reveal 12 key material categories, such as ready-mixed concrete, cement-based products, structural steel, wood, and interior finishes, that dominate embodied carbon contributions, with concrete alone composing over 85% of the total mass based on the analyzed G-SEED dataset. A material classification framework is then developed, organized by functional role and carbon impact. By focusing on these high-impact materials, future LCA efforts can be significantly streamlined without compromising accuracy. This approach offers data-driven guidance for LCA practitioners, designers, and green building certification bodies aiming for efficient and reliable carbon assessments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Environmental Impact Throughout the Life Cycle of Buildings)
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Review

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25 pages, 831 KB  
Review
Household Carbon Emissions Research from 2005 to 2024: An Analytical Review of Assessment, Influencing Factors, and Mitigation Pathways
by Yuanping Wang, Changhui Sun, Yueyue Fan, Shaotong Su, Chun Wang, Ruiling Wang and Payam Rahnamayiezekavat
Buildings 2025, 15(17), 3172; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15173172 - 3 Sep 2025
Viewed by 525 | Correction
Abstract
Rising household carbon emissions (HCEs) substantially increase residential energy consumption. This review evaluates the four principal quantification methods: Emission Coefficient Method (ECM), Input–Output Analysis (IOA), Consumer Lifestyle Approach (CLA), and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The methods are compared according to data requirements, uncertainty [...] Read more.
Rising household carbon emissions (HCEs) substantially increase residential energy consumption. This review evaluates the four principal quantification methods: Emission Coefficient Method (ECM), Input–Output Analysis (IOA), Consumer Lifestyle Approach (CLA), and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The methods are compared according to data requirements, uncertainty levels, and scale suitability. The study synthesizes multidimensional determinants—including household income, household size, urbanization, energy intensity and composition, population aging, and household location—and translates these insights into behavior-informed mitigation pathways grounded in behavioral economics principles. Combining compact-city planning, targeted energy-efficiency incentives, and behavior-nudging measures can reduce HCEs without compromising living standards, providing local governments with an actionable roadmap to carbon neutrality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Environmental Impact Throughout the Life Cycle of Buildings)
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