Green Building
A section of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).
Section Information
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (Global Status Report for Buildings, 2020), the building and construction sector accounted for about 39% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
Energy demand from buildings and the construction of buildings continues to rise, driven by urbanization and improved access to energy in developing countries, growing demand for air conditioning in tropical countries, greater ownership and use of energy-consuming appliances, and rapid growth in global building floor area.
Many countries, as well as the European Commission, have developed policies and strategies in recent years in order to reduce energy consumption and related emissions in buildings, but this is not enough, since a deep change in cultural approaches is necessary to boost sustainability in this sector.
Green buildings (also known as sustainable buildings) are the solution. They are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life cycle: from planning to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. This requires the close cooperation of all of the stakeholders, from the contractors to the architects, the engineers, and the clients, at all project stages.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for an interdisciplinary approach to disseminating state-of-the-art knowledge that would help researchers and stakeholders capture the real meaning of building sustainability.
This Section accepts submissions that present and review new concepts, methodologies, measures, and regulations that would help promote research and practice in the field of green buildings. The presentation of field data based on specific case studies of general interest is also welcome.
Potential authors are encouraged to contact the Section Editor-in-Chief with a tentative title and a brief outline when they can not confirm whether their paper fits within the Section's scope. Reviews, research papers, and field studies must consolidate or increase knowledge in this specific field. All of the information presented should be critically discussed in light of the existing literature.
Areas of Interest
The major areas of interest in this Section include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Green building design;
- Green building rating;
- Green building certification tools;
- Green building monitoring and auditing;
- Sustainable building materials;
- Innovative building materials;
- Innovative building components;
- Zero- and nearly zero-energy buildings;
- Renewable energy systems integrated into buildings;
- Innovative plants in green buildings;
- Life cycle assessment of buildings;
- Life cycle costing of buildings;
- Carbon footprint of green buildings;
- Water footprint of green buildings;
- Circular economy in the construction sector;
- Sustainable use of energy in buildings;
- Sustainable use of water in buildings;
- Indoor air comfort of green buildings;
- Acoustic aspects of green buildings;
- Lighting aspects of green buildings;
- Durability and maintanance issues of green buildings;
- Occupancy aspects and users’ satisfaction in green buildings;
- Control and regulation strategies in green buildings;
- National and international policies to support green buildings.
Editorial Board
Topical Advisory Panel
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Advancing Sustainable Construction Through BIM Adoption: Innovations, Challenges, and Opportunities (Deadline: 14 September 2026)
- AI-Enhanced Sustainable Design and Planning for Housing and Indoor Environments (Deadline: 15 September 2026)
- AI Innovations and Digital Transformation for Risk Assessment and Management in Sustainable Construction (Deadline: 18 September 2026)
- Sustainable Construction Materials and Technological Innovation (Deadline: 29 September 2026)
- Advances and Applications in Renewable Energy and Sustainable Buildings (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Applications of Sustainable Energy and Advanced Air Conditioning Technologies in Building Energy Efficiency (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Socially Sustainable Urban and Architectural Design (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Sustainable Pavement Design and Road Materials (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Towards Climate-Neutral and Resilient Building and Urban Energy Systems (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Sustainable Construction Engineering and Construction Project Management (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Resilient and Sustainable Solutions for Earthquake Resistant Building Structures (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Building a Sustainable Future: Sustainability and Innovation in BIM (Deadline: 1 October 2026)
- Energy Efficiency and Circular Economy in Sustainable Net-Zero Retrofitting of Buildings (Deadline: 15 October 2026)
- Advanced Developments in Digital and Sustainable Innovation of Design and Construction Management (Deadline: 16 October 2026)
- Towards Zero-Carbon Built Environments: Sustainable Energy Integration at Building and District Scales (Deadline: 20 October 2026)
- Green Building, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Sustainable Management (Deadline: 20 October 2026)
- Innovative Green Building Materials: Trends Revolutionizing the Construction Industry (Deadline: 23 October 2026)
- Automation in Construction: Advancing Sustainable Building Practices (Deadline: 29 October 2026)
- Carbon Management and Decarbonization Pathways in Buildings and Infrastructure (Deadline: 30 October 2026)
- Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation and Thermal Comfort in Buildings and Urban Spaces (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Advances in Soundscape Quality in the Built Environment (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Optimising Industry Sustainability for a Future-Ready Built Environment (Deadline: 1 November 2026)
- Advancing Bottom-Up Energy Approaches for Carbon-Neutral Building Stock (Deadline: 1 November 2026)
- Recycling and Reuse of Concrete Materials in Sustainable Engineering (Deadline: 1 November 2026)
- Sustainable Monitoring Systems for Building and Industrial Sectors: Energy Efficiency, Indoor Air Quality, and Thermal Comfort (Deadline: 26 November 2026)
- Advancing Sustainable Construction Management Through Decision Support System (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Green and Sustainable Buildings: Enhancing Energy Efficiency and Performance of Buildings (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Towards Healthy and Low-Carbon Indoor Environments: Innovations in HVAC and Building Design (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Circular Economy in Sustainable Buildings (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Smart Buildings: Harnessing Energy-Efficient Design for Sustainable Realization (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Green Buildings, Energy Efficiency, and Sustainable Development (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Sustainable Buildings for a Seismic Future: Integrating Resilience into Design and Retrofit Practices (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Redefining the Built Future: Next-Gen Materials and Resilient Construction for a Low-Impact World (Deadline: 1 December 2026)
- Sustainable Development of Construction Engineering—2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Sustainable Thermal Management: Innovations in Biomass-Derived and Green Materials (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Advances in the Sustainability of the Built Environment, Green Energy, and Building Energy Performance (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Future Trends in Sustainable Buildings: Materials, Technologies, and Computational Approaches (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Energy-Aware Optimization of Wireless Infrastructures for Green Buildings (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- AI+ Green Building Design: Innovations, Applications and Challenges—Special Issue for 2026 4th International Conference on Green Building (ICoGB 2026) (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Sustainability of the Built Environment: New Approaches to Achieving Global Goals (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Sustainable Construction Materials for Hydraulic Structures: Advancing Durability, Repair, and Circular Economy Solutions (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Sustainable Urban Construction: Lighting Design and Energy Efficiency (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Life Cycle Assessment(LCA) of Sustainable Building Materials (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Life Cycle Energy and Environmental Assessment in Sustainable Buildings (Deadline: 1 January 2027)
- Energy Communities: Innovations in Urban Building Design and Energy Systems (Deadline: 3 January 2027)
- Sustainable Built Environment and Indoor Air Quality (Deadline: 15 January 2027)
- Sustainable Advances In and Development of Energy Systems in Buildings (Deadline: 16 January 2027)
- Comprehensive Application of Concrete for Sustainability in Construction and Green Building (Deadline: 31 January 2027)
- Innovative Approaches for Sustainable Built Environments: Integrating Circular Materials, Green Infrastructures, and Smart Technologies (Deadline: 31 January 2027)
- Sustainable Monitoring Systems for Optimizing Building Energy Efficiency and Indoor Air Quality (Deadline: 31 January 2027)
- Sustainable Built Environment: From Theory to Practice (Deadline: 31 January 2027)
- Advances in Sustainable Construction Engineering and Management (Deadline: 31 January 2027)
- Low-Impact Materials and Construction Strategies for Sustainable and Resilient Buildings (Deadline: 31 January 2027)
- Information Technology for Sustainable Construction Management (Deadline: 31 January 2027)
- Sustainable Built Environment and Green Building Design (Deadline: 3 February 2027)
- Advances in Sustainable Conservation of Architectural and Cultural Heritage (Deadline: 18 February 2027)
- Smart Building Design and Operation for Sustainable Energy Efficiency and Indoor Comfort (Deadline: 19 February 2027)
- Circular Economy, Green Built Environment and Sustainable Construction (Deadline: 28 February 2027)
- Innovation in Sustainable Building and Smart Construction Projects (Deadline: 28 February 2027)
- Innovative Approaches in Construction: Between Circular Economy and Industrial Symbiosis—2nd Edition (Deadline: 28 February 2027)
- Human-Centric Buildings and Communities: Prioritising Comfort, Health, Well-being and Energy Efficiency (Deadline: 28 February 2027)
- Designing for Urban Green Infrastructure: Mitigating Heat Islands and Enhancing Well-Being (Deadline: 28 February 2027)
- The Future of Sustainable Architecture: Engineering and Green Building Materials (Deadline: 28 February 2027)
- Sustainable Building Materials for Greener Future (Deadline: 28 February 2027)
- Promote Sustainable Development Through Enhanced Building Energy Performance (Deadline: 28 February 2027)
- Sustainable Energy in Building and Built Environment (Deadline: 28 February 2027)
- Net-Zero Built Environments: Decarbonization via Digital Tools, Design & Landscape Sustainability (Deadline: 28 February 2027)
- Intelligent Sustainable Built Environments: AI, Robotics, and Digital Twins for Net-Zero Futures (Deadline: 1 March 2027)
- Integrated Sustainable Design: Toward Human-Centered and High-Performance Built Environments (Deadline: 1 March 2027)
- Latest Review Papers in Green Building (Deadline: 31 March 2027)
- Avoid, Shift, Improve: Building Sustainability Measures for Effective Climate Mitigation (Deadline: 31 March 2027)
- Circularity and Sustainability in the Built Environment: Architectural Technology, Construction and Urban Regeneration (Deadline: 31 March 2027)
- Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering: Intelligent Construction, Structural Health Monitoring and Sustainable Materials (Deadline: 31 March 2027)
- Low-Energy Buildings and Low-Carbon Grid Systems (Deadline: 31 March 2027)
- Advancing Energy-Efficient Buildings for Net-Zero Carbon Emission Goals (Deadline: 31 March 2027)
- Climate-Responsive Strategies for Sustainable Infrastructure (Deadline: 31 March 2027)
- Advances in Intelligence and Sustainability of Architecture, Structure and Construction (Deadline: 15 April 2027)
- Advancing Zero-Emission Buildings: Strategies, Technologies and Policy Pathways (Deadline: 30 April 2027)
- Renewable HVAC Solutions for Existing and New Buildings (Deadline: 30 April 2027)
- Green Materials, Smart BIM and Comfortable Environments: Towards Sustainable Building (Deadline: 30 April 2027)
- Advanced Concrete Materials for Sustainable Construction: From Nano-Modifications to Circular Economy Solutions (Deadline: 30 April 2027)
- Sustainable Materials and 3D Printing Technologies for Green Construction and Composite Applications (Deadline: 30 April 2027)
- Built Environment and Sustainable Energy Efficiency (Deadline: 30 April 2027)
- Intelligent Technologies and Market Mechanisms for Building Carbon Assessment and Reduction (Deadline: 1 May 2027)
- Advancements in Sustainable Built Environment and Green Energy Technologies (Deadline: 8 May 2027)
- Building Information Modelling for Sustainable Architecture: Protection, Performance and Transformation (Deadline: 31 May 2027)
- Sustainable Building Energy Simulation and Heat Transfer (Deadline: 31 May 2027)
- Sustainable Building Energy and Renewable Integration (Deadline: 31 May 2027)
- Integrating Digital and Material Solutions for Low Carbon, Circular Construction Systems (Deadline: 30 June 2027)
- Innovations in Green Building Development and Sustainable Facilities Management (Deadline: 30 June 2027)
- Circular Economy in Construction: Innovations, Challenges, and Sustainable Practices (Deadline: 18 July 2027)
- Building and Infrastructure Engineering: Sustainable Utilization of Innovative Eco-Efficient Materials—2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 July 2027)
- Heat-Resilient Buildings: Sustainable Design Strategies for Indoor Comfort and Sleeping Environments (Deadline: 31 July 2027)
- Urban Morphology, Urban Microclimate and Low-Carbon Built Environment (Deadline: 31 August 2027)
- Bio-Based Functional Materials for Low-Carbon Building Design and Sustainable Construction (Deadline: 30 September 2027)
- Standard Passivhaus and Industrialized Construction: Technological Strategies for Cost Reduction and Greater Access to Housing (Deadline: 31 December 2027)
- Artificial Intelligence-Driven Analyses and Innovations for Sustainable Built Environments: From Buildings to Cities and Infrastructure (Deadline: 31 July 2028)
Topical Collection
Following topical collection within this section is currently open for submissions: