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Buildings
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Sustainable Approaches to Building Repair
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Sustainable Approaches to Building Repair

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 January 2026 | Viewed by 6818

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Bo Pang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China
Interests: super ductile repair materials; molecular design and bionic intelligent manufacturing; self-sensing building materials; multifunctional materials; low-carbon materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Concrete structures serve as the backbone of transportation infrastructure, supporting the construction of modern, high-quality, three-dimensional transportation networks and facilitating a coordinated development in western and coastal regions. With the rapid development of the global economy, many concrete infrastructure projects built in the 1980s, 1990s, and even in the early 21st century are facing deteriorating safety and durability due to the coupling effects of natural and human factors. This poses threats and challenges to national safety and production, necessitating urgent repair and reinforcement.

Cement concrete materials suffer from drawbacks such as brittleness, low tensile strength, poor bonding, and insufficient durability, making it difficult to meet the repair demands of high-quality building structures. Faced with the reality of deteriorating performances in a large number of existing structures, there is an urgent need to overcome the core technical bottlenecks in the field of repair materials and improve the performance of concrete repair materials.

In this Special Issue, we hope to collect papers that promote various disruptive technologies in building materials, covering multiple topics related to material design and preparation, structural reinforcement and life extension, and innovative approaches for monitoring building health. Additionally, this Special Issue aims to address the application of repair and renovation techniques for innovative buildings.

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore experimental, numerical, analytical, environmental, and economic tools that can help to overcome the barriers in the field of building repair, detection, and reinforcement.

Dr. Bo Pang
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 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

  • repair materials
  • restoration
  • remodelling
  • polymer
  • hydrophobic
  • painting
  • flooring
  • carpentry
  • waterproofing
  • masonry

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

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 13671 KiB  
Article
Influence of Self-Emulsifying Waterborne Epoxy Resin with Novel Hardeners on Pore Structure and Permeability of Cement-Based Materials
by Feifei Wang, Yunsheng Zhang, Xiaoyun Song, Lirong Liu, Xianglin Sun and Peifeng Sun
Buildings 2025, 15(7), 997; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15070997 - 21 Mar 2025
Viewed by 302
Abstract
With increasing service life, concrete durability gradually deteriorates, requiring urgent repair and reinforcement. Conventional cement-based repair materials exhibit disadvantages such as high brittleness, low tensile strength, poor adhesion, and insufficient durability, making them inadequate for high-quality structural repairs. Based on the molecular structure–activity [...] Read more.
With increasing service life, concrete durability gradually deteriorates, requiring urgent repair and reinforcement. Conventional cement-based repair materials exhibit disadvantages such as high brittleness, low tensile strength, poor adhesion, and insufficient durability, making them inadequate for high-quality structural repairs. Based on the molecular structure–activity relationship, this study developed a novel waterborne epoxy–cement-based composite repair material using self-synthesized waterborne epoxy resin (WEP). The mechanism by which WEP improves the performance of cement-based materials was elucidated. The results indicate that WEP significantly influenced the early formation of silicate crystals. Furthermore, the addition of WEP enhanced material flexibility and adhesion, achieving flexural strength of 12.9 MPa and direct tensile bond strength of 2.13 MPa at 28 days, representing increases of approximately 30% and 58%, respectively, compared to the control group. Stress–strain curve analysis revealed that the ultimate strain of WEP-modified cement mortar reached 0.024%. SEM analysis revealed that cured WEP formed a dense cross-linked network with cement hydration products. This microstructural modification refined the pore structure, effectively addressing the material’s brittleness, ductility, and durability limitations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Approaches to Building Repair)
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25 pages, 10259 KiB  
Article
Microbial-Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation and Basalt Fiber Cloth Reinforcement Used for Sustainable Repair of Tunnel Lining Cracks
by Siqi Wan, Zhile Shu, Shun Kang, Wenwu Zhong, Xin Zhang, Haikuan Wu and Ruizhi Liu
Buildings 2024, 14(11), 3609; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113609 - 13 Nov 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 774
Abstract
The increasing problem of urban traffic congestion has led to the extensive use of underground tunnels. However, tunnel lining cracks pose a major threat to the integrity and safety of the structure. Although the traditional repair method is effective, it often requires higher [...] Read more.
The increasing problem of urban traffic congestion has led to the extensive use of underground tunnels. However, tunnel lining cracks pose a major threat to the integrity and safety of the structure. Although the traditional repair method is effective, it often requires higher construction technology and higher cost, and may cause damage to the concrete structure. In this study, microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) was combined with basalt fiber cloth to repair and reinforce tunnel lining cracks. Bacillus pasteurii was used to optimize the microbial mineralization process, and the effectiveness of the method on cracks with different widths was evaluated using a water seepage test. In addition, the mechanical properties of the reinforced tunnel lining were tested. The microbial mineralization process effectively repaired cracks with widths of 1 mm, 2 mm, and 3 mm. The use of unidirectional basalt fiber cloth increased the bearing capacity of the strengthened member by 12.5%. The combined reinforcement method also enhances the deflection performance and alleviates the influence of water seepage on the bonding performance. This innovative and sustainable approach not only provides an effective solution for the repair of tunnel lining cracks, but also contributes to the broader field of eco-friendly building materials. This study highlights the potential of using this combination approach to improve the durability and performance of underground infrastructure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Approaches to Building Repair)
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23 pages, 14022 KiB  
Article
Effect of High Temperatures on Mechanical and Shielding Properties of Lead–Zinc Tailings Concrete for Radiation Protection
by Minghui Wang, Zhenfu Chen, Qiuwang Tao, Yan’e Yang, Liping Xie, Dan Wu, Dan Jin and Lincheng Luo
Buildings 2024, 14(4), 1104; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14041104 - 15 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1450
Abstract
Due to the high prices, the popularity of radiation shielding concrete (RSC) has been greatly limited. To solve this, this research reused the lead–zinc tailings (LZT) as a fine aggregate replacement ranging from 0% to 60% for the RSC. The results revealed that [...] Read more.
Due to the high prices, the popularity of radiation shielding concrete (RSC) has been greatly limited. To solve this, this research reused the lead–zinc tailings (LZT) as a fine aggregate replacement ranging from 0% to 60% for the RSC. The results revealed that the RSC containing 30% LZT presented better workability and achieved 95.84% of the compressive strength and 98.49% of the linear attenuation coefficient of the RSC, and reached the highest splitting tensile strength values, which increased by 4.43%. Meanwhile, after the heat treatments, there were favorable correlations between the relative velocity and relative strength, as well as between the damage index and the relative linear attenuation coefficient, which could accurately reflect the degradation of not only the mechanical but also the shielding properties. Considering the temperature and shielding thickness, the reuse of LZT can bring considerable economic and environmental benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Approaches to Building Repair)
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19 pages, 12041 KiB  
Article
Comparative Study of the Performance of Underwater Concrete between Anionic and Nonionic Anti-Washout Admixtures
by Xiaoyun Song, Heping Zheng, Lei Xu, Tingting Xu and Qiuyu Li
Buildings 2024, 14(3), 817; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14030817 - 17 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1754
Abstract
An investigation was carried out to study the influence of two types of anti-washout admixtures (AWAs) on the performance of underwater concrete, specifically, workability and washout resistance. The tested AWAs were hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and polyacrylamide (PAM) as nonionic AWAs and carboxymethyl starch [...] Read more.
An investigation was carried out to study the influence of two types of anti-washout admixtures (AWAs) on the performance of underwater concrete, specifically, workability and washout resistance. The tested AWAs were hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and polyacrylamide (PAM) as nonionic AWAs and carboxymethyl starch (CMS) and polyanionic cellulose (PAC) as anionic AWAs. Rheological properties (slump and slump flow), washout resistance, and compressive strength were measured to evaluate the properties of the fresh and hardened concrete. The results indicate that anionic AWAs are more effective at improving workability and strength than nonionic AWAs in anti-washout underwater concrete. When the nonionic AWA dosage exceeded 0.3% (W/C = 0.45), the fluidity and air content were negatively impacted. Additionally, nonionic AWAs more readily alter the morphological structure of cement paste, affecting cement particle hydration and underwater concrete properties. Regarding the mechanical properties, compared with those of concrete without AWAs and with nonionic AWAs, the 28-day compressive strength of concrete with anionic AWAs reached 37 MPa, an increase of 151% and 131%, respectively. Compared with nonionic AWAs, concrete with anionic AWAs is more stable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Approaches to Building Repair)
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Review

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28 pages, 19045 KiB  
Review
A Review of Waterborne Polymer–Cementitious Composite Repair Materials for Application in Saline Soil Environments: Properties and Progress
by Yan’e Yang, Bo Pang, Yunsheng Zhang, Minghui Wang, Gaixia Miao and Aoxiang Zhou
Buildings 2024, 14(3), 848; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14030848 - 21 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1759
Abstract
The properties of a large number of concrete infrastructures in China are deteriorating year by year, raising the need for repairing and strengthening these infrastructures. By introducing waterborne polymers into a cement concrete system, brittle cracks and easy bonding performance defects of concrete [...] Read more.
The properties of a large number of concrete infrastructures in China are deteriorating year by year, raising the need for repairing and strengthening these infrastructures. By introducing waterborne polymers into a cement concrete system, brittle cracks and easy bonding performance defects of concrete can be compensated for to form a long-life, semi rigid, waterborne polymer-modified cementitious repair material with a promising development prospect. This paper investigates the modification effect of polymer emulsions on ordinary cement mortar. Our research mainly focused on the physical and mechanical properties, durability, microstructure and application status of waterborne polymer-modified cementitious composites. Literature studies show that with the increase in waterborne polymer content (0 wt%~20 wt%), the performance of cement mortar significantly improves, which in turn expands its application range. Compared with ordinary cement mortar, the introduction of waterborne polymers blocks some of the pores in the cement to a certain extent, thus improving its permeability, freeze–thaw resistance and durability. Finally, this paper describes the application of waterborne polymer–cementitious composites in western saline soil environments, as well as discusses the prospects of their development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Approaches to Building Repair)
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