Buildings

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The building and construction industry is one of the largest resource-consuming industries in the world, including the extraction of materials, energy and water consumption, and waste generation. Therefore, sustainable development is a key goal of the national circular economy policy—a renewable economy in which the negative impact of the construction industry on the environment is minimized. Therefore, sustainable and green construction materials are mandatory from a modern engineering design. This Special Issue is devoted to publishing papers that describe the most significant research in building materials, repair, and renovation, with a focus on advanced, sustainable, or green building, which could contribute to a construction industry based on the innovation and circular economy principles.

This Special Issue covers the following important topics:

Sustainable or green materials for construction;
Innovative repair/renovation techniques or materials;
Advanced materials for construction;
Energy saving and carbon reduction in construction;
Integrated approaches for building materials, repair, and renovation in sustainable construction;
Case studies in sustainable or green construction materials.

Prof. Dr. Ming-Gin Lee
Prof. Dr. Yeng-Fong Shih
Prof. Dr. Huang-Mu Lo
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. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

14 pages, 5204 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of Sustainable Wood-Plastic Composites in Energy-Efficient Construction

by Yeng-Fong Shih, Chun-Wei Chang, Teng-Hsiang Hsu and Wei-Yi Dai

Buildings 2024, 14(4), 958; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14040958 - 1 Apr 2024

Viewed by 786

Abstract

Wood–plastic composites (WPCs), abbreviated as WPCs, are typically composite materials made by mixing wood flour and thermoplastic resins, and then shaped through processes such as extrusion or compression. They have emerged as a viable and advanced alternative to traditional wood and plastic materials, offering an amalgamation of the best properties of both. This study utilized discarded milk bottles as the polymer matrix (mainly composed of high-density polyethylene, HDPE) and added wood flour, recycled protective clothing (Tyvek^®), and diatomite recycled from brewery waste as reinforcement. Additionally, pre-treated aluminum hydroxide powder from waste artificial marble was added. The results indicated that the optimal processing temperature for the WPCs was 175 °C. The mechanical properties of the material increased with the addition of recycled protective clothing and pre-treated aluminum hydroxide powder. The increase in tensile strength can reach up to 28%. The thermal conductivity of the WPCs also significantly increased with the addition of pre-treated aluminum hydroxide powder. Furthermore, sunlight analysis showed that the surface temperature of the WPCs decreased by approximately 8.5 °C, which corresponds to a reduction of 13% after adding pre-treated aluminum hydroxide powder. Therefore, they can be applied to outdoor cool WPCs to reduce the risk of foot burns or used as roof heat-insulating layers to reduce indoor air conditioning usage, achieving energy-saving and carbon reduction. This study demonstrates that high-performance and high-value green plastics made from various recycled materials can contribute to the goals of a circular economy and sustainable carbon reduction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Development: New Trends in Energy Saving, Carbon Reduction and Green Building Materials—2nd Edition)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 4888 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Study on the Mechanical Properties of Reinforced Pervious Concrete

by Ming-Gin Lee, Yung-Chih Wang, Wei-Chien Wang, Hung-Jen Chien and Li-Chi Cheng

Buildings 2023, 13(11), 2880; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13112880 - 17 Nov 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1290

Abstract

Pervious concrete (PC) has gained popularity as an environmentally friendly solution for mitigating the urban heat island effect and promoting sustainable construction. However, its lower compressive strength, attributed to its higher porosity required for permeability, poses challenges for withstanding heavy vehicle loads on pavements. Our study aims to improve the flexural strength of regular PC by adding advanced reinforcing materials like steel wire mesh or glass fiber mesh. This results in reinforced pervious concrete, referred to as RPC, which offers enhanced strength and durability. The primary objective of our research is to investigate the mechanical behavior of RPC, with a specific emphasis on essential design parameters such as PC elastic modulus, modulus of rupture, and stress–strain characteristics under both single and repeated loading conditions. Our findings reveal that the influence of repeated loading on the compressive strength and elastic modulus of PC pavement is negligible, as there are no significant differences observed between the two loading protocols. Notably, our statistical analysis indicates that the PC strength (fc′) averages around 15 MPa. Moreover, empirical formulas for the elastic modulus (Ec = 3072

\sqrt{f_{c}'}

) and modulus of rupture (fr = 0.86

\sqrt{f_{c}'}

) are derived from our research. Furthermore, our study establishes that the stress–strain behavior of PC closely aligns with the general concrete model proposed by a previous scholar, providing valuable insights into the material’s structural performance. These findings contribute to a better understanding of RPC’s mechanical properties and offer potential solutions for improving its suitability for heavier vehicular loads. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Development: New Trends in Energy Saving, Carbon Reduction and Green Building Materials—2nd Edition)

► Show Figures