Special Issue Information

The growing demand for sustainable development and resilient urban environments is reshaping the building sector, driving a transition from conventional practices toward smart and sustainable building systems. Buildings are increasingly expected to integrate advanced technologies with user-centered design, functioning not only as physical structures but also as dynamic systems that interact with occupants, the environment, and urban infrastructures. This transformation highlights the critical role of energy efficiency, occupant well-being, and systemic complexity in shaping the next generation of smart and sustainable buildings.

However, current energy management often face difficulties with fragmented data integration, limited scalability, and the effective incorporation of renewable and distributed energy resources. Studies of occupant behavior and human–building interaction still struggle to capture behavioral diversity, predict adaptive responses, and translate findings into actionable design and operation strategies. Moreover, current attempts to characterize buildings as complex systems continue to evolve, yet remain constrained by insufficient understanding of their dynamic behaviors, multidimensional diversity, and inherent uncertainties in operations.

To address these limitations, this Special Issue aims to gather cutting-edge studies that advance energy innovation, provide deeper insights into occupant-centric design and operation, and develop frameworks for managing buildings as complex systems. By bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives and practical case studies, this Special Issue seeks to enrich theoretical understanding, foster practical innovation, and accelerate the transition toward more intelligent, resilient, and sustainable built environments.

Keywords of the Special Issue:
• Smart and sustainable buildings
• Low-carbon, energy-efficient and heat-resilient buildings
• Occupant behavior in buildings during the extreme heatwave period
• Heat-related mortality and morbidity in buildings
• Influence of thermal and visual comfort on occupant behavior in buildings
• Building energy flexibility
• Intelligent building management systems
• Renewable and distributed energy integration
• Building energy management
• Occupant behavior modeling and simulation
• Human-building interaction
• Complex systems in buildings
• Building energy system resilience
• Digital twins in construction and operation
• AI in construction, operation and demolition
• Internet of Things for building systems
• Data-driven building lifecycle management
• Knowledge transfer across buildings
• Life cycle assessment of buildings
• Cost-benefit analysis of buildings

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