Sustainable Building Materials—2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

This Topic aims to explore the challenges and opportunities associated with sustainable and smart building materials, structures, and related research in civil engineering, with a refined focus on sustainable rock and soil, low-carbon concrete, and advanced cementitious systems. Serving as an interdisciplinary platform connecting materials science, structural engineering, and digital technologies, this Topic seeks to inspire innovation toward a net-zero and climate-resilient built environment. Notably, this involves not only low-carbon production but also negative-emission pathways such as BECCS (Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage) applied to bio-based building materials (e.g., engineered wood and agricultural biomass), as well as distinct circularity strategies, ranging from the direct reuse of whole precast components to the upcycling of recycled concrete aggregates. The scope encompasses low-carbon and mineralization cementitious materials, soil and concrete improvement, bio-mediated technologies, intelligent construction like 3D printing, and performance analysis of green geotechnical and structural engineering under extreme conditions. By showcasing cutting-edge case studies, AI-driven design strategies, and life cycle assessments, this Topic highlights the multi-dimensional benefits of next-generation sustainable construction techniques. Furthermore, to fully address the urgent timeline for climate action, all contributions are encouraged to incorporate long-term predictive simulations extending to 2050 or 2060, thereby explicitly quantifying their specific contributions toward global net-zero targets.

The following areas of interest will be covered in this Topic:

(1) Low-Carbon and Carbon-Negative Concrete/Binders: Development, multi-scale performance, SCMs, geopolymers, CO₂ mineralization curing, and integrated CCUS/BECCS pathways (including bio-based feedstocks like wood).

(2) Circular Use of Construction Resources: Explicitly covering both (a) the direct reuse of whole structural building parts/components and (b) the processing and application of recycled aggregates from concrete and solid waste, with assessments of their micro-to-macro structural performance.

(3) Eco-Friendly Geotechnics and Bio-Mediated Soil/Rock Improvement: Sustainable stabilization of soil/rock, bio-mediated technologies (MICP/EICP), and environmental impacts.

(4) Underground, Tunnel and Dam Infrastructure: Applications of improved materials, novel impermeable barriers, and performance evaluation in tunnels, dams, and deep foundations.

(5) Climate Resilience, Durability and Self-Healing: Long-term degradation mechanisms, self-healing smart systems, and structural resilience under extreme weather, salinity, and freeze–thaw conditions.

(6) AI, Digital Twins and Smart Optimization: Machine learning and digital twins for mixture design, microstructural evolution, and real-time structural health monitoring.

(7) 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing: Rheology, printability, mechanical behavior, and structural applications of 3D-printed low-carbon concrete, geopolymers, and bio-soils.

(8) LCA, Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessment: Life cycle assessment (LCA), carbon accounting, and socio-economic evaluations of sustainable materials and structural systems. Special emphasis is placed on forward-looking LCA frameworks that project environmental performance up to 2050/2060, aligning with the net-zero emission roadmap.

Prof. Dr. Bingxiang Yuan
Dr. Binbin Yang
Dr. Shiyuan Huang
Prof. Dr. Rongtao Yan
Dr. Yang Chen
Topic Editors