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Sustainable Built Environment and Indoor Air Quality

A Special Issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050) belonging to the section "Green Building".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2027 | Viewed by 1626

Editors

College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Interests: IAQ; sustainable built environment; human health assessment; local air supply technology; building energy-saving technology
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Guest Editor
College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Interests: new building envelope structure; green building and energy conservation; new environmental control terminal; thermal comfort; efficient intelligent building
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Guest Editor
College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Interests: data center cooling and environmental control technology; multiphase flow and heat transfer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the intersection of sustainably built environments and indoor air quality (IAQ), addressing critical gaps in current research. The scope encompasses (a) low-emission building materials, (b) energy-efficient ventilation strategies, (c) advanced IAQ monitoring technologies, and (d) policy frameworks for healthy built environments. Its purpose is to advance interdisciplinary solutions that simultaneously achieve carbon neutrality and occupant health protection.

This Special Issue addresses research gaps through innovative insights, cutting-edge technologies, and novel testing/simulation methodologies. It integrates state-of-the-art research outcomes while prioritizing green low-carbon technologies for sustainable buildings and advanced indoor air quality (IAQ) control strategies.

By integrating building science, environmental chemistry, and public health perspectives, this issue will provide actionable frameworks for next-generation building standards. We look forward to your contributions and to collectively advancing our understanding and responses to sustainably built environments and indoor air quality.

Dr. Zhu Cheng
Dr. Hongli Sun
Dr. Xingchi Jiang
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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

  • sustainable construction materials
  • indoor air pollutant dynamics
  • building ventilation optimization
  • VOC exposure mitigation
  • green building certification systems
  • low-carbon HVAC technologies
  • occupant health–performance nexus
  • smart IAQ monitoring networks
  • circular economy applications
  • climate-resilient building codes

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 10457 KB  
Article
An Experimental Study on a Sustainable Novel Laminar Convective–Radiative Heating Terminal: Optimized Localized Heating Toward Energy Conservation and Low-Carbon Office Buildings
by Li Liu, Ning Li, Lin Zeng, Hongli Sun, Xingchi Jiang and Zhu Cheng
Sustainability 2026, 18(12), 6017; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18126017 - 11 Jun 2026
Viewed by 371
Abstract
Conventional full-space heating systems waste massive fossil-derived energy on unoccupied indoor areas and cause uncomfortable “warm head, cold feet” issues against sustainable building targets. To fill this gap and advance low-carbon indoor heating solutions for sustainable office development, this study proposes an innovative [...] Read more.
Conventional full-space heating systems waste massive fossil-derived energy on unoccupied indoor areas and cause uncomfortable “warm head, cold feet” issues against sustainable building targets. To fill this gap and advance low-carbon indoor heating solutions for sustainable office development, this study proposes an innovative localized heating terminal combining radiant panels and downward laminar air supply. An experimental platform was established, with twelve testing cases covering varied supply air velocity, supply air temperature and radiant panel temperature to explore its thermal comfort and energy-saving sustainability performance. Experimental results demonstrate that, under the optimal operating condition (0.55 m/s airflow, 23.5 °C supply air, 36 °C radiant panel), the vertical head–foot temperature difference reduces to merely 1.2 °C, far below the 3–5 °C threshold of conventional heating equipment; the draught rate approaches zero to eliminate cold draft discomfort. Critically, 65–75% of total supplied heat concentrates within human-occupied zones, drastically cutting redundant heat loss and advancing building heating sustainability. The terminal features dual working modes: convection contributes 78.7–94.4% of total heat for rapid warm-up while radiant heat maintains stable long-term comfortable surroundings. Such flexible dual-mode design supports sustainable part-load operation matching intermittent office occupancy, making this terminal a feasible low-carbon option for modern sustainable office buildings prioritizing energy efficiency and a healthy indoor environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Built Environment and Indoor Air Quality)
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21 pages, 6863 KB  
Article
Sustainable and Health-Promoting Ventilation Optimization for Kindergarten Buildings Across Diverse Climate Zones
by Chang Yi, Mingrui Zhang, Fei Gao, Yiheng Liu, Yin Zhang, Jin Li and Jialin Wu
Sustainability 2026, 18(3), 1413; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18031413 - 31 Jan 2026
Viewed by 634
Abstract
HVAC systems account for a significant portion of building energy consumption, making them a critical factor in achieving energy efficiency and sustainable development in buildings. The thermal comfort environment within kindergarten buildings has a direct impact on children’s health and learning performance while [...] Read more.
HVAC systems account for a significant portion of building energy consumption, making them a critical factor in achieving energy efficiency and sustainable development in buildings. The thermal comfort environment within kindergarten buildings has a direct impact on children’s health and learning performance while also being closely linked to building energy consumption. Natural ventilation serves as a fundamental passive technology for ensuring indoor air quality. It offers advantages such as energy savings and emissions reduction while improving thermal comfort, making it a key advancement in promoting sustainable building practices. Air change rate serves as a key indicator for measuring indoor air renewal. This study, based on the characteristics of young children being more sensitive to environmental changes and having weaker resistance, investigated the impact of different air change rates on indoor thermal comfort in kindergartens across three distinct climatic zones in China: hot summer and warm winter, hot summer and cold winter, and temperate areas. Thermal comfort was evaluated using the Temperature Humidity Index (THI) and temperature fluctuation rate. And the effects of air change rates on building energy consumption were further examined. Simulation results show that the influence of air change rates on indoor thermal comfort, temperature fluctuations, and energy consumption varies significantly across climate zones. Guided by the sustainable principles of prioritizing children’s health and low-energy operation, the findings indicate that an air change rate of 1.5 is optimal in hot summer and warm winter areas, a rate of 0.5 is most suitable in hot summer and cold winter areas, and a rate of 0.5 is most suitable in temperate areas. This study aims to provide scientific evidence for achieving energy conservation and sustainable ventilation design through natural ventilation in kindergarten buildings across different climate zones, while ensuring children’s health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Built Environment and Indoor Air Quality)
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