Fast-Growing, Bio-Based Construction Materials as Key Drivers to a Net-Zero-Carbon Built Environment
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Building".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 4181
Special Issue Editors
2. Construction Task Force, International Organization for Bamboo and Rattan INBAR, Beijing, China
Interests: bio-based materials; carbon footprint; dynamic LCA; bamboo; timber; construction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: sustainable construction; regenerative materials; bio-based; climate-neutral building; carbon footprint assessment; MFA
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are facing an unprecedented challenge as the climate rapidly changes and natural environments deteriorate at alarming rates, while the achievement of a sustainable human society moves further out of our reach. The need for rapid action and regenerative solutions that can deliver results on a short timescale are needed more than ever. One of the major commitments of nations worldwide is to achieve carbon neutrality within their built environments in the coming decades. It is clear how this commitment can only be fulfilled with the implementation of bio-based materials. These unconventional materials not only have the ability to lower the carbon footprint when used in building, but also have the capacity of storing carbon during their service life and removing large amount of CO2 due to their fast growth. Bio-based construction materials, such as bamboo, hemp, and straw, etc., can provide a wide range of applications, from structural purposes to thermal insulation. Bio-based solutions can be contextualized to respond to specific needs of different geographies, thus providing appropriate responses to the challenges faced in each region. These promising solutions still require further development and understanding of the scope of their benefits along the value chain before being promoted as sustainable development solutions.
The need for solutions to achieve net-zero-carbon built environments is more imperative than ever. We recognize that approaches utilizing fast-growing, bio-based materials can make a significant contribution to achieving this goal. Nevertheless, we see that efforts to promote these materials are spread across very different fields of knowledge. With the present Special Issue, we aim to highlight the potential of fast-growing, bio-based materials in novel applications in the built environment, especially in building. Moreover, we would like to target the main positive aspects of these materials, such as their circularity and contribution to the implementation of new bio-economies.
With this Special Issue, we aim to bring attention to the potential contributions that fast-growing, bio-based material can provide while creating a repository of knowledge that can help decision-makers and pave the way towards a sustainable built environment.
We are pleased to invite you to submit an original contribution to this Special Issue addressing topics in the fields of material science, buildings physics, structural applications, value chain analysis, circular and bio-economies, as well as criticality and land-use competition.
Dr. Edwin Zea Escamilla
Dr. Francesco Pittau
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
- construction
- regenerative materials
- bamboo
- hemp
- straw
- bio-economy
- circularity
