Special Issue "Sustainable Buildings and Indoor Air Quality"

The reduction of energy consumption in buildings is achievable only if building components can satisfy several criteria of sustainability during their entire service life: In the production phase, by adopting materials with low thermal transmittance, manufactured with low cost and energy saving processing, even by valorizing byproducts/ wastes. - During the service life, by ensuring the ability to guarantee a comfortable and healthy IAQ, the energy efficiency, also for active engineered control systems (HVAC), and durability. Since the cost to restore a degraded structure increases exponentially with the level of degradation, monitoring systems should be developed to detect as soon as possible the conditions favorable to deterioration. - At the end of the service life, by adopting materials able to be recycled.