Green Building

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.