Geoscience of the Built Environment 2016 Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Following the success of the 2013 edition (http://www.mdpi.com/journal/geosciences/special_issues/built_environ), it is my pleasure to invite all interested researchers to contribute to a new Special Issue on the “Geoscience of the Built Environment”. We still consider it a hot topic that can show that geosciences are a vibrant branch of research concerned not only with the great questions of the Earth and the Universe, but also with our immediate domestic surroundings (our tabletops, walls, leisure spaces). The geosciences are therefore of great interest to urban dwellers. This Special Issue concerns the relevance of geoscience for the human modified environment, including (but not limited to) the following subjects:

• Spatial analysis
Spatial analysis concerns the study of data with spatial information, which can be used in assessing distribution patterns of materials degradation, pollution related to anthropogenic and geogenic sources, and the susceptibility of the built environment to hazardous geophenomena, such as earthquakes and flooding. Spatial analysis is also used in the planning of new structures in relation to the geological characteristics of the terrain.
• Selection of Building Materials
The selection of materials (masonry and carved stone; aggregates for mortars, concrete, and bituminous pavements; raw materials for the manufacture of other building materials, such as cement, bricks, tiles, and glass) encompasses the consideration of aesthetic features and the characteristics that influence the performance of the materials in the built environment, with respect to durability, energy efficiency, and pollution effects. The selection of materials also occurs from the perspective of sustainability.
• Weathering Processes
The same weathering processes that act on rock outcrops affect built environment surfaces. There are specificities related to the kind and contents of pollutants related to anthropogenic activities and with the geometrical configurations of the built elements (namely in relation to the circulation of polluting solutions and in the exposition to the climatic conditions), which result in weathering products involving the neoformation of substances or the cracking and erosion of the existing surface. The study of these processes requires observational studies (including the mapping of weathering products) and in situ and field characterizations of the weathering products (namely via non-destructive techniques).
• Study Methods
This topic encompasses theoretical models applied to explain (and foresee) the evolution of the materials and the relation between the influencing factors. The topic concerns numerical simulations and procedures for simulations performed in either the laboratory or in the field, in relation to the simulation conditions and the morphology and size of the specimen and the confrontation of the results of these experimental studies and the features observed in the field.
• Environmental Impact
This topic encompasses the pollution impact (including particles, gamma radiation, and radon) from materials applied in the built environment and as waste, and their impact on organisms and other materials, as well as the impact of the built surfaces on the energy budget of the surrounding environment.
• Pollution Monitoring
This topic includes geologic materials used as passive monitors of organic and inorganic pollutants and in the retrospective dosimetry of radiation.
• Historical Research
This topic includes historical uses of geological materials and their relation with economic and technological development, and also concerns the dating of built elements.
• Conservation
This topic concerns the relevance of understanding the interactions between weathering processes and geologic materials, so as to further the conservation of cultural heritage.

Dr. Carlos Alves
Guest Editor

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Geosciences 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 1800 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.

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