Resilient Buildings Worldwide: Climate Adaptation, Risk Mitigation, and Performance

Dear Colleagues,

Buildings worldwide are increasingly exposed to intensifying climate stressors and compound hazards, including extreme heat, pluvial and coastal flooding, windstorms, drought-driven ground movement, wildfires, and cascading impacts on critical building services. At the same time, seismic risk and aging building stocks continue to challenge safety, continuity of operations, and long-term asset value. This Special Issue seeks original research and state-of-the-art reviews that advance the science and practice of resilient buildings, integrating climate adaptation, risk mitigation, and measurable performance outcomes across the building lifecycle.

We welcome contributions on performance-based design and retrofit; multi-hazard risk and vulnerability assessment; resilient structural and envelope systems; nature-based and hybrid protective measures; durability and service-life engineering; energy–resilience co-optimization; post-event rapid assessment and recovery; digital twins, sensing, and data-driven diagnostics for preparedness and maintenance; and the policy, governance, and economic instruments that enable scalable implementation. Submissions may address buildings of any type and context, from single structures to portfolios and urban districts, and should emphasize transferable methods, validated evidence, and actionable guidance for practitioners and decision-makers.

This Special Issue will address the growing need for resilient buildings under escalating climate stressors and compound hazards, with a strong emphasis on measurable performance and implementable solutions. It welcomes contributions that advance the following:

• Climate adaptation in building design and retrofit (e.g., extreme heat, windstorms, drought-driven ground movement, coastal exposure, pluvial flooding);
• Multi-hazard risk assessment and performance-based engineering (including seismic, fire, and cascading failures);
• Resilient structural and envelope systems, and protective measures (including hybrid and nature-based solutions);
• Resilience-oriented operation and maintenance strategies, including monitoring, diagnostics, and decision support;
• Metrics, benchmarking, and validation approaches for resilience performance across the building lifecycle;
• Governance, standards, and policy instruments that enable scalable implementation and investment.

Dr. Sérgio Lousada
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-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.