Sustainable Materials Selection in Civil Engineering Projects
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 1432
Special Issue Editors
Interests: LCA; sustainability; construction materials; polymer recycling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: additive manufacturing; bio-manufacturing; sustainability; polymer recycling; additive manufacturing; concrete 3D printing; bio-materials; polymers and metal foams; CAD/CAM; composites; smart manufacturing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: additive manufacturing; biomanufacturing; biomaterials; polymers; ceramics and metal foams; CAD/CAM; composites; smart manufacturing; non-conventional machining and powder metallurgy
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The construction industry substantially impacts worldwide environmental challenges, including greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion, and waste generation; therefore, the growing demand for infrastructure necessitates the use of sustainable materials to mitigate environmental impacts while maintaining economic feasibility and engineering efficiency. The choice of sustainable materials presents a scientific and technical challenge, while also serving as a social necessity to meet global sustainability goals and address climate change.
The Aim of the Special Issue
This Special Issue aims to explore innovative tools, approaches, and frameworks for the sustainable selection of materials in civil engineering efforts. It will align with the journal’s focus on sustainability in engineering by highlighting the need for authentic, research-backed solutions to advance sustainable infrastructure development, and will seek to encourage multidisciplinary discussion and improve understanding of how material choices might integrate environmental, economic, and structural demands.
Suggested Themes:
We encourage contributions that span a broad range of topics, which may include, but are not limited to:
- Life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental impact analysis for material selection;
- Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) and optimization frameworks for sustainability;
- Innovations in green, recycled, and secondary materials in civil engineering;
- Bio-based materials, geopolymers, and other low-carbon construction materials;
- Circular economy approaches in material use and waste management;
- The integration of smart and digital tools for sustainable material selection (e.g., BIM);
- Social, economic, and environmental trade-offs in material selection;
- The policies, standards, and certifications driving sustainable material adoption;
- Case studies highlighting challenges in sustainable material application;
- Climate adaptation and resiliency through material choices in infrastructure;
- Innovative testing and performance evaluation of sustainable materials;
- Sustainable supply chains and logistics for material procurement;
- Addressing material scarcity and local resource utilization in construction;
- Long-term durability and maintenance implications of sustainable materials;
- Hybrid materials and composite innovations for enhanced sustainability.
This Special Issue will offer practical insights to assist researchers, engineers, and policy makers in promoting sustainable practices in the building industry.
I look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Narinder Singh
Dr. Ilenia Farina
Dr. Gurminder Singh
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
- sustainable construction
- green building materials
- life cycle assessment (LCA)
- circular economy in construction
- low-carbon materials
- recycled construction materials
- bio-based building materials
- multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM)
- eco-friendly infrastructure
- material durability and sustainability
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
