Circular Systems, Buildings and Processes for a Sustainable Built Environment
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 960
Editors
Interests: high performing building envelopes; energy efficiency; analysis of construction and operating energy; adaptation and climate responsive strategies; LCA and service life of buildings and components; innovation and smart buildings; smart districts and smart cities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: multicriteria assessment tools; sustainability or resilience rating systems; outdoor thermal comfort; energy and users in buildings; mitigation of climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The construction sector is responsible for over one third of greenhouse gas emissions and a significant amount of resource depletion. It has been estimated that buildings account for more than 30% of raw materials globally, and up to 40% of the total waste sent to landfill. A significant number of international agendas have recently placed emphasis on the integration of energy efficiency with the increasing necessity of mitigating the embodied impact of all construction-related processes in order to comprehensively address the transition towards the concept of climate-neutral cities. The transition to a Circular Economy (CE) is recognized as one of the pivotal strategies in this regard.
This Special Issue aims to stimulate a reflection on circularity in architectural design and building process to foster the adoption of innovative and life-cycle-oriented solutions to reduce environmental impacts. Scientific research, practical experiences, and systemic studies are welcomed as contributions to the debate on the urgency of shifting towards circular model adoption, which is key to fully achieving a sustainable dimension for building construction.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Waste-based materials for construction;
- Innovative construction and demolition waste management;
- Circular business models for buildings, including, e.g., Product as a Service, Extended Producer Responsibility;
- Comparative life-cycle analysis and/or life-cycle costing for circular materials and systems;
- Novel design approaches for circularity, including design for disassembly or longevity;
- Streamlined processes/workflows for waste prevention and/or material reuse and recycling;
- Tools and means to increase material efficiency on-site, including digital tools and advanced machine-aid technologies;
- Industrial symbiosis and urban mining practices;
- Buildings as material banks and insights into building material passport implementation in real markets.
Case study discussions, as well as simulations and theoretical research, are encouraged. We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Jacopo Gaspari
Dr. Lia Marchi
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
- construction workflow
- construction and demolition waste
- material bank
- recycled materials
- life-cycle assessment
- life-cycle costing
- circular business models
- material cadasters
- product as a service
- building passports
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