Special Issue Information

The use of sustainable structural materials is becoming more common for new constructions as well as for retrofitting of existing ones. Low-carbon materials, e.g. bio-inspired or from recycled waste, are attractive and aligned with the targets set by UN SDGs. There have been recently significant advances in developing self-healing, self-monitoring low-carbon concrete and mortar. The mechanical performance of such novel structural materials is appropriate for applications at large scale. However, additional assessment should be carried out to quantify the environmental response of such materials, especially when exposed to harsh conditions, e.g. in maritime/offshore structures/infrastructure or industrial locations. Bespoke laboratory tests are being conducting to determine the response of low-carbon, bio-inspired structural materials under different environmental loading, including variations of temperatures, humidity and other climate-induced effects. Codification is still lacking and it is deemed necessary to rely on robust design-by-testing approaches to ensure that novel sustainable structural materials can be efficiently utilized. Evalutation of embodied carbon and cost-analysis are also essential to quantify the benefits of using such materials in construction.

The present Special Issue provides a detailed state-of-the-art of the current practice for the formulations, production and utilization of sustainable low-carbon structural materials. Theoretical approaches are combined and corroborated by comprehensive laboratory tests to validate the efficiency and high performance of such novel materials. Research topics include but are not limited to:
• Development of low-carbon structural materials (e.g., bio-inspired, recycled-based)
• Self-healing and self-monitoring concrete and mortar
• Mechanical performance and scalability of novel sustainable materials
• Durability under harsh environmental conditions (e.g., marine, offshore, industrial)
• Experimental studies under variable temperature, humidity, and climate effects
• Design-by-testing approaches and lack of codification
• Life cycle assessment and embodied carbon analysis
• vCost-benefit analysis for sustainable structural materials
• Application of sustainable materials in retrofitting and infrastructure renewal
• Integration of theoretical modeling and laboratory validation

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