Advances in Timber Engineering: Design, Modification Techniques, Durability, Modeling and Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

Wood has long been recognized as a strategic construction material due to its renewability, high strength-to-weight ratio, and potential to contribute to low-carbon building systems. In recent years, advances in timber engineering have significantly expanded the range of structural and non-structural applications of wood, driven by innovations in material modification, engineered wood products, durability enhancement, and computational modeling. These developments are particularly relevant in the context of climate change, resource efficiency, and the growing demand for resilient and sustainable construction solutions.

This Special Issue, “Advances in Timber Engineering: Design, Modification Techniques, Durability, Modeling and Sustainability”, aims to showcase the recent scientific and technological progress in timber engineering. We welcome contributions that address both the fundamental and applied aspects of wood as an engineering material, spanning from material-scale modifications to structural performance and system-level design. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Physical, chemical, thermal, and biological modification techniques for improving the performance of wood;
• Durability and service-life prediction under diverse environmental conditions;
• Experimental and numerical modeling of timber materials, elements, and structures;
• Design methodologies for engineered wood products and timber-based systems;
• Sustainability assessments, including life cycle analysis and resource efficiency.

Contributions that integrate experimental evidence with modeling approaches or that bridge material science and structural engineering perspectives are particularly encouraged. By bringing together research on design, modification, durability, modeling, and sustainability, this Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of timber engineering as a multidisciplinary field and to support the development of robust, efficient, and environmentally responsible wood-based construction systems.

Dr. Fernando Junior Resende Mascarenhas
Dr. André Luís Christóforo
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-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.