Special Issue Information

The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is complex in nature and is labeled as an industry where few significant changes have taken place in recent decades. Furthermore, it is one of the most significant consumers of natural resources and energy during production and operation cycles. In this context, the concepts of net zero energy and net zero water buildings have been successfully explored by the technical literature for some time. However, it is perceived that the application of the concept only in buildings is not enough to significantly impact the social, economic, and environmental well-being of people. Thus, the construction industry requires the development of new trends and ideas that favor modernization in different projects and at all stages.

Therefore, as the focus of research expands to resource conservation, it is necessary to understand and deepen broader concepts, through systemic thinking that considers the housing unit as just one of the elements to be analyzed in a broader context. In other words, considering not only buildings, but also neighborhoods, districts, and cities. Accordingly, this special issue aims to integrate the concepts of net zero homes and communities with the concept of mass custom homes and communities. The proposal is based on the philosophy that the potential benefits of highly efficient buildings and communities (net zero) will only have a real impact on the construction industry if the applied solutions are viable for well-standardized products and integrated into a system capable of massively producing quality environments (mass custom).

This Special Issue focuses on the latest developments in the field of Net Zero Energy Mass Custom Homes and Communities. We encourage original research paper submissions related to successful applications of these concepts in design, planning, construction, monitoring, control, management, and modeling buildings and communities. High-quality reviews that present state-of-the-art research findings in this field are also welcomed.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following
● Life cycle thinking (LCT) applications in buildings, districts, and communities
● Construction and design innovation
● Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in buildings and communities
● Industrialization and prefabrication in construction
● Intelligent monitoring techniques for construction sites and communities
● BIM adoption and implementation in mass customization
● Building and communities simulation and performance
● Smart, resilient, and sustainable building and communities
● Development and operation of Digital Twins for buildings and communities
● Green infrastructure
● Optimization, simulation, and decision support applications
● Net Zero Energy and Water concepts and applications
● Sustainable buildings and integration with smart and sustainable cities

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