Circular Functional Materials for Healthy and Resilient Buildings
A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Materials, and Repair & Renovation".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 123
Special Issue Editors
Interests: building materials; innovative civil engineering products; electromagnetic radiation shielding materials; microanalysis of materials; sustainable materials
Interests: microanalysis of materials; new materials in construction; sustainable development and concrete technology
Interests: concrete structures; bridges; effects of explosions; numerical modelling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue will focus on advanced, functional, and circular materials for sustainable buildings that support healthy living, with an emphasis on building envelopes and interior components that measurably improve energy performance, indoor environmental quality, and long-term resource efficiency. The scope spans materials for load-bearing and structural elements, such as walls, beams, and columns, as well as assemblies used in facades, insulation systems, coatings, membranes, panels, and retrofit solutions, and highlights multifunctional performance across thermal, acoustic, moisture/transport, and electromagnetic domains.
A core aim is to bring together materials research that addresses energy efficiency (e.g., advanced insulation and radiative-control materials, high-performance composites and coatings); thermal and acoustic comfort solutions relevant to occupant well-being and productivity; and moisture-related transport and permeability behaviours (fluid/vapor diffusion, sorption, and coupled hygrothermal performance) that influence durability, mold risk, and indoor air quality. A distinctive theme is electromagnetic radiation shielding and electromagnetic permeability in building-integrated materials (e.g., conductive coatings, meshes, textiles, and composites), including frequency-dependent performance, installation effects (e.g., joints and connections), and practical constraints relevant to real buildings.
By emphasising interconnected trade-offs (e.g., electromagnetic shielding versus vapour permeability, fire safety, and recyclability) and promoting the use of decision-support tools and monitoring frameworks, this Special Issue will bridge materials science, building physics, and sustainability assessment, helping inform evidence-based policy, procurement, and scalable building practice.
Dr. Ivan Vrdoljak
Dr. Ivana Miličević
Dr. Hrvoje Draganić
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 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-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
- sustainable building materials
- building envelope
- life cycle assessment (LCA)
- circular economy
- recycled materials
- electromagnetic shielding (EMI/EMC)
- thermal comfort
- acoustic comfort
- permeability and transport properties
- durability and service life
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