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Sustainability and Innovation in Building Materials and Technologies: Resource Efficiency and Life Cycle Analysis

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Building".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2024) | Viewed by 6445

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Francesco Nocera

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture (DICAR), University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
Interests: buildings energy analysis; environmental thermo-fluid dynamics; natural and artificial lighting; environmental and building acoustics; solar energy; heat transfer; energy saving; renewable energy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Maria Rosa Trovato

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, 95131 Catania, Italy
Interests: environmental economics; real estate economics; urban economics; circular economy, urban and land management; urban and land sustainability; cultural resources valuation; Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA); Datamining; GIS

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Building construction materials and technologies play an essential role in the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). Many solutions and opportunities are offered in the field of research and industry for facing the decarbonization of buildings through innovative envelope components and renewable energy systems integrated into the buildings.

This Special Issue wants to offer a collection of papers that deals with not only innovative construction elements and components on various levels, including composition selection, production technology and end-of-life options, but also with novel RES (Renewable Energy Systems) systems and technologies integrated into the building from all points of view: functional, constructive and aesthetic.

This Special Issue aims to contribute an outstanding collection of both research and design practice papers on in sustainable and innovative building materials and technologies.

Furthermore, the Special Issue will contribute to identify best practices to support the development of materials and technologies, the implementation of sustainable production processes in the perspective of a circular economy by promoting a reconnaissance of tools to support the economic-financial evaluation, financing sources, decision-making and management processes in the product and process innovation for companies in the industry and in the programming of energy requalification interventions in buildings in the private and public perspective.

Dr. Francesco Nocera
Prof. Dr. Maria Rosa Trovato
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

integration renewable energy resources (biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, heat pump)
sustainable architecture
nearly zero energy buildings
smart buildings
building-integrated PV/thermal (BIPV/T)
building-integrated solar thermal (BIST)
green buildings
HVAC Systems
responsive envelopes
LCA analysis
LCC—life cycle cost
LCR—life cycle revenue
economic-financial feasibility
financing
social impact finance
decision system support
circular economy

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 3329 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Compared Environmental Lifecycle Performances of Earth-Based Walls to Drive Building Envelope Design

by Giada Giuffrida, Letizia Dipasquale, Riccardo Maria Pulselli and Rosa Caponetto

Sustainability 2024, 16(4), 1367; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041367 - 6 Feb 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 976

Abstract

Raw earth has useful applications in contemporary buildings as a sustainable and circular construction material. The present study aims to assess the environmental performance of several earth-based wall systems with similar thermal performance, through a life cycle thinking approach. In particular, a life cycle assessment is developed for (a) unstabilized rammed earth (produced in situ), (b) compressed earth blocks (prefabricated in the factory), (c) stabilized rammed earth and (d) light earth, all combined with biobased (natural fibers, e.g., lime hemp, cork) and/or conventional materials for building insulation. Results show benefits in terms of avoided carbon emission, water footprint and embodied energy throughout the production chain and highlight limits and potential improvements. In addition, the CO₂ offset by crops is also estimated based on carbon embedded in natural fibers. In particular, light earth wall systems are the most suitable to minimize environmental impacts, while massive constructive technologies (as unstabilized rammed earth) show a higher dynamic thermal performance for intended use in Mediterranean climates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Innovation in Building Materials and Technologies: Resource Efficiency and Life Cycle Analysis)

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15 pages, 2162 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Taxonomy and Indicators for ESG Investments

by Francesco Sica, Francesco Tajani, Mª Paz Sáez-Pérez and José Marín-Nicolás

Sustainability 2023, 15(22), 15979; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152215979 - 15 Nov 2023

Viewed by 2057

Abstract

Instead of the well-known three-pillar model of economic, social, and environmental sustainability, the shift in valuation paradigm to the sustainable realm needs a fundamental methodological and operational modification, with a focus on determining and describing metrics, criteria, and performance indicators that can be used to support Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG)-based valuation practices. As of now (2023), there is significant language and semantic heterogeneity in the indicators, standards, and operational methods to be used while conducting ESG assessments and analyses. The primary objective of this contribution is to analyze the current ESG criteria/indicators that can be found in relevant scientific publications. A scoping review of the recent ESG literature (2015–2023) as well as a content study of the reports from the most influential worldwide rating agencies—which are now utilized as models in the usage of criteria, indicators, and ESG metric applications—have been both carried out. A total of 182 indicators (78 environmental, 64 social, and 40 governance) have been gathered as a result of the investigation. In the endeavor to design and apply ESG-focused valuation and analytical practice, sets of Key Performance Indicators for the three dimensions have been found using cluster analysis and text mining, and a reference taxonomy has been provided based on them. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Innovation in Building Materials and Technologies: Resource Efficiency and Life Cycle Analysis)

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23 pages, 3491 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Simplified Life Cycle Cost Estimation of Low-Rise Steel Buildings Using Fundamental Period

by Mohamed Noureldin and Jinkoo Kim

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2706; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032706 - 2 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1434

Abstract

In the current study, a simplified seismic life cycle cost (LCC) estimation procedure is proposed utilizing the mean values of the structure’s main input variables. The main input variables of the building are used for constructing a relationship between the structural fundamental period (T) and an average estimation of the LCC (LCCavg). Using the actual building properties related to damage probability, the T–LCCavg relationship is used to obtain the final LCC (LCCfin). The equivalent single degree of freedom (ESDOF) model and SAC-FEMA framework are utilized for damage probability calculation. The dispersion measure in demand is approximately calculated based on the mean plus one standard deviation of the seismic hazard response spectrum, and, then, verified through nonlinear time history (NLTH) analyses of the original structure. Five and three-story steel buildings are used as case studies for verification of the proposed method. The analysis results indicate that the proposed procedure provides reasonable LCC estimations for low-rise buildings dominated by the fundamental mode of vibration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Innovation in Building Materials and Technologies: Resource Efficiency and Life Cycle Analysis)

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Review

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27 pages, 32303 KiB

Open AccessReview

Sustainability of Green Building Materials: A Scientometric Review of Geopolymers from a Circular Economy Perspective

by Paolo Lorenzo Ferrara, Michele La Noce and Gaetano Sciuto

Sustainability 2023, 15(22), 16047; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152216047 - 17 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1498

Abstract

Ecosystems suffer from CO₂ emissions and pollution caused by waste materials, mainly agricultural and industrial, that are dumped in landfill sites. These materials contain aluminosilicates, which are key ingredients for producing geopolymer composite (GPC). While cement, the main component of ordinary Portland cement (OPC), is a highly energy-consuming and polluting material in terms of CO₂ emissions, water absorption, and land depletion, GPC is an emerging building material that can contribute to the sustainability of the construction industry. In this research, bibliometric data on GPCs were collected from Dimensions databases, and a scientometric analysis was performed using the innovative VOSviewer software (ver. 1.6.19). The scope was to examine the development of GPC for construction applications in the context of a circular economy and as an emerging green building material. Using specific query metrics and three keywords (geopolymer, circular economy, and green building materials), bibliometric records were analyzed to identify the articles, authors, and journals with the highest impact. This investigation can help scholars and policymakers in deepening their knowledge in this growing research area. From a societal perspective, this study stimulates geopolymer developments through policies aimed at promoting the circular economy, such as the adoption of green subsidies in research and development (R&D) and production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Innovation in Building Materials and Technologies: Resource Efficiency and Life Cycle Analysis)

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