Advances and innovations in materials science and engineering have always played a substantial role in civil engineering, building structural design, and construction. In recent years, extensive effort has been devoted to the applications of stimuli-responsive smart materials and nanostructures in buildings. These smart materials used in the built environment can be defined as those offering specific functional and adaptable properties in response to thermal, optical, structural, and environmental stimuli. Not only do these materials enhance the overall performance of new building construction but also promise safer structures, longer durability of building elements, efficient building energy savings, greater environmental sustainability, and even higher indoor user comfort. Given the increasing imperatives for the above, we have organized this themed special issue that focuses on smart buildings and construction materials. The main aim of this special issue is to encapsulate the current interest and state of research related to the smart materials in building and construction applications, underpinning current and future challenges in building energy, environmental sustainability, and structural safety and durability.
In this special issue, after rigorous peer-review processes, the original research papers and review papers accepted cover a wide range of topics that address the critical issues in the development and implementation of smart materials for building design and construction. A total of ten papers in this special issue are listed
