Sustainable Urban Environment and Building Energy Efficiency

Dear Colleagues,

Accelerated urbanization, caused by the rapid growth of the global population, has led to a significant increase in energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions, consequently contributing to global climate change. For instance, buildings in cities are responsible for 70% of total global energy consumption, representing more than two-thirds of CO2 emissions. Therefore, good understanding and planning of energy use in buildings are crucial for establishing adequate future energy policies that are more environment-friendly, without harming the primary functions of buildings (e.g., good lighting and comfortable indoor environment).

Accordingly, the use of passive technologies, renovation in existing buildings, sustainable energy sources, and cost-effective building designs have been accepted as an essential component of comprehensive solutions in built environments. On this basis, great efforts have been made to improve the building performance and reduce energy-related emissions through the application of passive technologies (e.g., phase change materials, passive solar heating system, solar panel windows, daylight harvesting systems, passive cooling systems, etc.), renewable energy sources (solar panels, photovoltaics, bioenergy, etc.), smart technologies (e.g., IOT sensors, smart HVAC systems, etc.), and building performance optimization in design stages. In addition to using machine learning, and intelligent analytics to develop predictive energy models, other study aspects include socio-economic and environmental impacts and extract insights.

This Special Issue is a platform for a wide range of professionals to enhance interdisciplinary research and share the most recent ideas in the related fields listed below for more sustainable buildings.

Prof. Dr. Seung Hyun Cha
Prof. Dr. Choongwan Koo
Guest Editors

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