Advancing Energy Efficiency, NetZero Strategies, and Decarbonization for Sustainable Built Environments

Dear Colleagues,

The global imperative to mitigate climate change, reduce resource consumption, and improve living standards has elevated the importance of energy efficiency and sustainability in the built environment. The built environment accounts for a substantial proportion of global energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, driving the need for innovative solutions and integrative approaches. This Special Issue seeks to advance scientific knowledge and foster interdisciplinary collaboration in designing, operating, and retrofitting sustainable and energy-efficient built environments.This issue contributes to ongoing global conversations about achieving net-zero carbon goals, promoting resilience, and ensuring social equity within urban and rural infrastructures by exploring cutting-edge technologies, policies, and methodologies.

This Special Issue aims to gather state-of-the-art research and reviews that bridge the gap between theoretical frameworks and practical applications in energy efficiency and sustainability in the built environment. Contributions should align with Sustainability’s mission to disseminate impactful research addressing sustainability's environmental, social, and economic dimensions.We welcome interdisciplinary studies and innovative methodologies that reflect the complexity and interconnectedness of sustainability challenges in the built environment. Submissions may include topics ranging from material science advancements to urban policy analysis, reflecting the diverse strategies needed to promote energy efficiency and sustainability.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:       

Energy Efficiency in Building Design and Retrofitting

• Advanced materials for energy conservation.
• Passive and active energy-saving technologies.
• Energy performance modeling and optimization.      

Sustainable Construction and Materials

• Lifecycle assessment of building materials.
• Circular economy approaches in construction.        

Integration of Renewable Energy Systems

• Solar, wind, and geothermal applications in the built environment.
• Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs).        

Digital Tools and Smart Technologies

• The evolving role of BIM in sustainable built environments. 
• Smart grids and energy management systems.
• IoT and AI applications for sustainable urban development.        

Climate Resilience in Urban Design

• Green roofs, vertical gardens, and urban greening.
• Adaptive design for extreme weather events.       

Policy and Socioeconomic Dimensions

• Urban planning for sustainable cities.
• Energy regulations and policy impacts.       

Human-Centric and Health-Focused Approaches

• Indoor environmental quality and occupant health.
• Thermal comfort and behavioral studies in energy usage.

We invite original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and case studies that address these themes. Contributions should offer novel insights, methodologies, or applications that push the boundaries of current knowledge in energy efficiency and sustainability in the built environment.

Dr. Amira Elnokaly
Dr. Farres Yasser
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.

• energy efficiency
• sustainable built environment
• green building design
• renewable energy integration
• smart cities
• passive design strategies
• building performance simulation
• lifecycle assessment
• building information modeling (BIM)
• IoT
• AI
• circular economy in construction