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Sustainability
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Sustainable Design and Assessment of Heritage Structures and Urban Areas
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Sustainable Design and Assessment of Heritage Structures and Urban Areas

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 4153

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Iasmina Onescu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Politehnica University of Timisoara, Traian Lalescu no. 2/A, Timisoara, Romania
Interests: Vulnerability assessment Heritage preservation Seismic architecture and town planning Sustainability Architectural engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Alexandra Iasmina Keller

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Architecture and Town Planning, Polytechnic University of Timisoara, 300006 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: architectural engineering; preservation of heritage buildings; aesthetic of structures; urban planning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sergio Ruggieri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil, Environmental, Land, Construction and Chemistry, Politecnico di Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
Interests: structural engineering; seismic engineering; existing structures and infrastructures; seismic vulnerability; seismic fragility; finite element modelling; performance based earthquake engineering; machine learning; computer vision
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the current challenges in modern society is tackling sustainability’s impact on structures, architecture, and heritage. Hazardous events, such as earthquakes, fires, extreme winds, and climate change issues, have often impacted cities, causing economic, social, and human life losses. The scientific community is continuously working on defining new methods for estimating the vulnerability of existing buildings and cities and designing appropriate intervention strategies to mitigate risk and prevent catastrophic consequences. However, the correlation between architectural and structural design and sustainability aspects is currently not very well defined, highlighting the need to explore their connection. Besides the impact of various hazards on heritage buildings, it is also of utmost importance to look at the problem at an urban level and, through this, employ assessment methodologies and sustainable urban heritage management strategies.

With these goals in mind, this Special Issue aims to spur the exchange of ideas regarding innovative approaches for evaluating the vulnerability of heritage structures and urban areas under sustainability concerns. Original contributions about fundamental and applied research, exciting case studies, and complete state-of-the-art reviews are encouraged for submission to this Special Issue.

Dr. Iasmina Onescu
Dr. Alexandra Iasmina Keller
Dr. Sergio Ruggieri
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

  • natural hazards
  • design and assessment
  • heritage structures
  • urban areas
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

34 pages, 8454 KiB  
Article
Architectural Heritage Conservation and Green Restoration with Hydroxyapatite Sustainable Eco-Materials
by Alina Moșiu, Rodica-Mariana Ion, Iasmina Onescu, Meda Laura Moșiu, Ovidiu-Constantin Bunget, Lorena Iancu, Ramona Marina Grigorescu and Nelu Ion
Sustainability 2025, 17(13), 5788; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135788 - 24 Jun 2025
Viewed by 503
Abstract
Sustainable architectural heritage conservation focuses on preserving historical buildings while promoting environmental sustainability. It involves using eco-friendly materials and methods to ensure that the cultural value of these structures is maintained while minimizing their ecological impact. In this paper, the use of the [...] Read more.
Sustainable architectural heritage conservation focuses on preserving historical buildings while promoting environmental sustainability. It involves using eco-friendly materials and methods to ensure that the cultural value of these structures is maintained while minimizing their ecological impact. In this paper, the use of the hydroxyapatite (HAp) in various combinations on masonry samples is presented, with the aim of identifying the ideal solution to be applied to an entire historical building in Banloc monument. The new solution has various advantages: compatibility with historical lime mortars (chemical and physical), increased durability under aggressive environmental conditions, non-invasive and reversible, aligning with conservation ethics, bioinspired material that avoids harmful synthetic additives, preservation of esthetics—minimal visual change to treated surfaces, and nanostructural (determined via SEM and AFM) reinforcement to improve cohesion without altering the porosity. An innovative approach involving hydroxiapatite addition to commercial mortars is developed and presented within this paper. Physico-chemical, mechanical studies, and architectural and economic trends will be addressed in this paper. Some specific tests (reduced water absorption, increased adhesion, high mechanical strength, unchanged chromatic aspect, high contact angle, not dangerous freeze–thaw test, reduced carbonation test), will be presented to evidence the capability of hydroxyapatite to be incorporated into green renovation efforts, strengthen the consolidation layer, and focus on its potential uses as an eco-material in building construction and renovation. The methodology employed in evaluating the comparative performance of hydroxyapatite (HAp)-modified mortar versus standard Baumit MPI25 mortar includes a standard error (SE) analysis computed column-wise across performance indicators. To further substantiate the claim of “optimal performance” at 20% HAp addition, independent samples t-tests were performed. The results of the independent samples t-tests were applied to three performance and cost indicators: Application Cost, Annualized Cost, and Efficiency-Cost-Performance (ECP) Index. This validates the claim that HAp-modified mortar offers superior overall performance when considering efficiency, cost, and durability combined. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Design and Assessment of Heritage Structures and Urban Areas)
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25 pages, 6047 KiB  
Article
Characterizing Sustainability and Assessing Biophilic Design in Vernacular Architecture: Case of Kasbahs and Ksour in South of Morocco
by Zakaria Abyaa, Khalid El Harrouni and Robin Degron
Sustainability 2025, 17(10), 4680; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104680 - 20 May 2025
Viewed by 809
Abstract
In recent decades, sustainability and biophilic design have gained significant attention as revived concepts in architecture, offering innovative pathways to reconnect the built environment with nature. Can these principles be characterized and assessed in vernacular architectural contexts so as to be incorporated into [...] Read more.
In recent decades, sustainability and biophilic design have gained significant attention as revived concepts in architecture, offering innovative pathways to reconnect the built environment with nature. Can these principles be characterized and assessed in vernacular architectural contexts so as to be incorporated into contemporary sustainable practices? This research seeks to answer this question by examining the vernacular architecture of Kasbahs and Ksour in southern Morocco through the lens of biophilic design. The link between the two remains underexplored, specifically in the context of southern Morocco—a gap this article seeks to address. This research analyzes these heritage architectures by combining a theoretical exploration of sustainability, biophilic design (BD), and operational BD frameworks with a practical evaluation using a Biophilic Interior Design Matrix. This analysis is particularly pertinent as the contemporary society spends roughly 90% of its time indoors and is considered to be an “indoor generation”. After examining eleven vernacular buildings spread over key areas of Ouarzazate Province in southern Morocco against 54 biophilic design attributes, the findings reveal that Kasbahs and Ksour showcase sustainability and biophilic qualities. This demonstrates that Moroccan traditional architectural values can enable heritage preservation through biophilic principles to deliver culturally contextual and sustainable architectural solutions for contemporary practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Design and Assessment of Heritage Structures and Urban Areas)
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22 pages, 11223 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Study of Bazaar Cultural Spaces in Central Asia and China
by Yingjie Ding, Tao Fan, Huan Wang and Zhao Yang
Sustainability 2024, 16(20), 9083; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16209083 - 20 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2302
Abstract
With the advancement of modernization, traditional bazaars have encountered challenges, such as diminished vitality. Concurrently, the trend of integrating cultural spaces into bazaars has become increasingly evident. Understanding the relationship between bazaars and cultural spaces, as well as the preferences of users of [...] Read more.
With the advancement of modernization, traditional bazaars have encountered challenges, such as diminished vitality. Concurrently, the trend of integrating cultural spaces into bazaars has become increasingly evident. Understanding the relationship between bazaars and cultural spaces, as well as the preferences of users of these spaces, is crucial for enhancing bazaar vitality. Employing field research, questionnaire surveys, cross-analysis, and the narrative preference method, this paper compares the bazaar cultural spaces of Central Asia and Chinese from four perspectives: the current state of the bazaar, development overview, user preferences, and cultural space type preferences. This aims to deepen the understanding of the commonalities and differences between the two regions, and to explore the development trends of bazaars and their cultural spaces. The study reveals that (1) Spaces with diversified functions, high accessibility, and openness can enhance the vitality of the bazaar; (2) There exists a synergistic, mutually beneficial relationship between the bazaar and the cultural spaces; (3) Central Asian residents place greater emphasis on the environmental quality of the bazaar and the engaging content of its cultural spaces. In contrast, Chinese residents are more focused on the accessibility of the bazaar and the openness of the cultural spaces; (4) The function of art and culture is the preferred type of cultural space in the bazaar among residents of both regions. This study significantly contributes to the planning, design, and optimization of bazaars and their cultural spaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Design and Assessment of Heritage Structures and Urban Areas)
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