Low Carbon Building Performance and Sustainability in the Construction Industry

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid urbanization and population growth are driving ever-increasing demand for new infrastructure. These expansions pose significant challenges to sustainability, as they contribute to higher greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion, and environmental degradation. The construction industry, therefore, plays a pivotal role in combating climate change by reducing the carbon footprints of buildings throughout their life cycles. Achieving low-carbon building performance not only involves optimizing design, materials, and operational strategies but also requires collaborative efforts among stakeholders to adopt greener technologies and innovative practices. In pursuit of global carbon neutrality targets and the development of sustainable urban environments, this Topic highlights cutting-edge research on low-carbon building performance, focusing on life cycle assessments, sustainable construction materials, and advanced building technologies. By examining current developments, best practices, and barriers to implementation, we will enhance knowledge and foster the creation of more environmentally responsible, energy-efficient, and cost-effective buildings that support a resilient future. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Life cycle assessment (LCA) and carbon footprint reduction strategies for buildings;
• Digital technologies and data-driven approaches (e.g., digital twins, IoT) to optimize building performance;
• Renewable energy integration and storage solutions for near-zero or net-zero energy buildings;
• Policy frameworks and stakeholder collaboration to promote low-carbon construction on local and global scales;
• Low-carbon construction methods that minimize embodied energy and enhance sustainability;
• Green building standards and certifications to guide sustainable design and construction;
• AI application, and energy communities.

Prof. Dr. Xiaojuan Li
Prof. Dr. Libiao Bai
Dr. Ruopeng Huang
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Atmosphere atmosphere	2.3	4.9	2010	16.9 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Buildings buildings	3.1	4.4	2011	14.9 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
CivilEng civileng	2.0	4.0	2020	27 Days	CHF 1400	Submit
Construction Materials constrmater	-	3.1	2021	18.6 Days	CHF 1200	Submit
Energies energies	3.2	7.3	2008	16.2 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Sustainability sustainability	3.3	7.7	2009	19.3 Days	CHF 2400	Submit

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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All Atmosphere Buildings CivilEng Construction Materials Energies Sustainability

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31 pages, 1153 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Monetizing Environmental Impacts into Environmental Costs During Prefabricated Building Construction: A 5D BIM-Enabled Analysis

by Xian Gao, Xilong Chen, Kun Lu and Xueyuan Deng

CivilEng 2025, 6(3), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/civileng6030036 - 2 Jul 2025

Viewed by 333

Abstract

Although prefabricated buildings offer environmental advantages, their construction process inevitably generates environmental impacts. However, current research on prefabricated buildings focuses on the environmental impact level, and there is a lack of intelligent tools for analyzing their spatial and temporal dimensions. Therefore, this study [...] Read more.

Although prefabricated buildings offer environmental advantages, their construction process inevitably generates environmental impacts. However, current research on prefabricated buildings focuses on the environmental impact level, and there is a lack of intelligent tools for analyzing their spatial and temporal dimensions. Therefore, this study develops a framework using 5D building information modeling (BIM) to monetize environmental impacts into environmental costs for prefabricated building construction. This framework includes defining boundaries and indicators, obtaining a resource inventory using the 5D BIM coding system, calculating environmental impact results, and converting environmental impacts into environmental costs. Taking a prefabricated substation as a case study, its environmental costs are 172.81 CNY/m², with these costs caused by climate change accounting for the largest proportion (91.2%). This study unifies different environmental impacts into a single monetary form, providing stakeholders with intuitive indicators. It also expands 5D BIM applications from conventional costs to environmental costs, which can display their spatiotemporal changes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Low Carbon Building Performance and Sustainability in the Construction Industry)

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21 pages, 4361 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Building Sustainable Futures: Evaluating Embodied Carbon Emissions and Biogenic Carbon Storage in a Cross-Laminated Timber Wall and Floor (Honeycomb) Mass Timber Building

by Aayusha Chapagain and Paul Crovella

Sustainability 2025, 17(12), 5602; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125602 - 18 Jun 2025

Viewed by 424

Abstract

The building sector significantly contributes to global energy consumption and carbon emissions, primarily due to the extensive use of carbon-intensive materials such as concrete and steel. Mass timber construction, particularly using cross-laminated timber (CLT), offers a promising low-carbon alternative. This study aims to [...] Read more.

The building sector significantly contributes to global energy consumption and carbon emissions, primarily due to the extensive use of carbon-intensive materials such as concrete and steel. Mass timber construction, particularly using cross-laminated timber (CLT), offers a promising low-carbon alternative. This study aims to calculate the embodied carbon emissions and biogenic carbon storage of a CLT-based affordable housing project, 340+ Dixwell in New Haven, Connecticut. This project was designed using a honeycomb structural system, where mass timber floors and roofs are supported by mass timber-bearing walls. The authors are not aware of a prior study that has evaluated the life cycle impacts of honeycomb mass timber construction while considering Timber Use Intensity (TUI). Unlike traditional post-and-beam systems, the honeycomb design uses nearly twice the amount of timber, resulting in higher carbon sequestration. This makes the study significant from a sustainability perspective. This study follows International Standard Organization (ISO) standards 14044, 21930, and 21931 and reports the results for both lifecycle stages A1–A3 and A1–A5. The analysis covers key building components, including the substructure, superstructure, and enclosure, with timber, concrete, metals, glass, and insulation as the materials assessed. Material quantities were extracted using Autodesk Revit^®, and the life cycle assessment (LCA) was evaluated using One Click LCA (2015)^®. The A1 to A3 stage results of this honeycomb building revealed that, compared to conventional mass timber housing structures such as Adohi Hall and Heartwood, it demonstrates the lowest embodiedf carbon emissions and the highest biogenic carbon storage per square foot. This outcome is largely influenced by its higher Timber Use Intensity (TUI). Similarly, the A1-A5 findings indicate that the embodied carbon emissions of this honeycomb construction are 40% lower than the median value for other multi-family residential buildings, as assessed using the Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) Embodied Carbon Emissions Benchmark Study of various buildings. Moreover, the biogenic carbon storage per square foot of this building is 60% higher than the average biogenic carbon storage of reference mass timber construction types. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Low Carbon Building Performance and Sustainability in the Construction Industry)

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