Preface

The impacts from building construction and use contribute to extreme environmental degradation. On one hand, constructions generate an environmental impact through the resources used and the greenhouse gas emissions generated during the construction process. On the other hand, buildings, once constructed and put into use, consume large amounts of energy. For this reason, it is necessary to have efficient designs to mitigate the environmental impact of buildings during their different phases, with the goal of achieving a low-carbon building stock by 2050.

There are many reasons and evidence showing that the design and construction sectors have a significant role in pollution and emissions. Thus, sustainability in these sectors is the core of many investigations and scholarly works. Many statistics show that these sectors account for more than 40 percent of emissions globally.

This book discusses the most appropriate architectural design strategies that guarantee the adequate environmental performance of buildings during the design and construction phase as well as the use phase. It collects and presents the outcomes of investigations and discussions about sustainable concepts and urban planning and development. Sustainability is an interdisciplinary topic requiring innovation and creativity. This means innovative works in different disciplines should be considered to improve the quality of the built environment in terms of economic, environmental, and social attributes. The book begins the discussion with a snapshot of trending topics and how intelligence systems may revive businesses and industries related to smart cities and construction. Overall, it focuses on relevant issues related to the production of construction materials, lifecycle analysis, sustainable constructions, efficient designs, nearly zero-energy buildings, and the sociocultural integration aspects of new architectural designs in urban settings.

Following the Introduction, the second section includes chapters focusing on durable concrete, climate resilience, sustainable building, energy-efficient design, and innovative sustainable construction topics. Concrete is one of the main materials used in construction, but it is also a source of pollution. Thus, the durability of this material becomes important for improving the sustainability of projects.

The third and last section focuses on urban development topics such as traffic flow analysis, architecture, urban resilience, and human needs. Traffic management will affect the structure of cities including the number of required infrastructure projects, which can affect a city's sustainability and resilience. An efficient management system will consider adapting a city's current infrastructure as well as add to it with,

for example, reserve lanes or lanes for cyclists. Another important possibility of traffic management is to provide rerouting options to citizens in case of traffic jams, which may save fuel and energy.
