Advances in Buildings Life Cycle Assessment and Energy-Efficient Design
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2025) | Viewed by 682
Special Issue Editors
Interests: buildings life cycle analysis; embodied carbon; thermal simulations; energy efficiency; circular economy; refurbishments vs. replacements; machine learning; generative design & optimisation
Interests: net-zero energy buildings; environmental life cycle assessment; sustainable high-performance buildings; energy efficiency in building; embodied carbon modeling; novel construction materials with energy generation and carbon absorption capabilities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: circular economy and the built environment; building information modeling (BIM); design for disassembly; life cycle assessment for buildings; disassembly planning for buildings; virtual and augmented reality for buildings
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Buildings account for a significant portion of global energy consumption and environmental impact. With the growing demand for energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact, the design and operation of sustainable buildings have become critical areas of research. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) offers a comprehensive framework for evaluating the environmental impacts of products and processes throughout their entire life cycle, from raw material extraction through use, to disposal or recycling. Applied to buildings, LCA assesses the environmental impacts at every stage—from material sourcing and construction to operation and the eventual building demolition or reuse.
This Special Issue aims to explore innovative research that integrates LCA methodologies to improve the energy efficiency, carbon footprint, and overall environmental performance of buildings. We invite contributions that examine novel design solutions, cutting-edge materials, construction techniques, and operational strategies that enhance the life cycle performance of buildings. The issue will also address the broader policy, economic, and social implications of these advancements. It will focus on impacts at various scales, from individual building components through buildings and neighbourhoods to urban or national scopes. This could include analysis on new developments or on refurbishments or re-use of existing buildings.
Submissions that employ frameworks like Life Cycle Analysis, Life Cycle Costing, Circular Economy, and related approaches are especially welcome. In line with the journal’s commitment to sustainability, this Special Issue seeks to explore what impacts life-cycle-oriented developments might have on current design practices. Researchers are encouraged to submit studies that push the boundaries of current knowledge and offer new solutions to one of the most pressing global challenges: sustainable building practices.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) Methodologies for Buildings;
- Sustainable Building Materials and Technologies;
- Life Cycle Carbon Footprint and Environmental Impact Reduction;
- Building Life Cycle Performance Optimisation;
- Generative Design for Life Cycle Efficiency;
- Building Re-use, Replacement or Demolition;
- Life Cycle Costing (LCC) in Construction;
- Circular Economy in Construction and Building Design;
- Policy and Regulation for Life-Cycle-Sustainable Buildings;
- Resource Efficiency in Building Construction and Maintenance;
- Digital Tools and BIM (Building Information Modelling) for Life Cycle Assessment;
- Urban and Neighbourhood-scale Carbon Footprint.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Yair Schwartz
Dr. Rahman Azari
Dr. Benjamin Sanchez
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 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. 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
- Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
- Life Cycle Carbon Footprint (LCCF)
- Life Cycle Costing (LCC)
- circular economy
- buildings life cycle performance
- energy efficient buildings
- embodied carbon
- advanced materials
- operational efficiency
- resource-efficient design
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