​Innovation in the sustainable built environment​

Submit your manuscript here from 1 March 2026!

Introduction  

The 48th Australasian Universities Building Education Association (AUBEA) Conference, themed “Building Sustainable, Smart, and Resilient Communities: Planning, Design, Construction, and Education”, has been hosted by the University of Canberra in Canberra, Australia, from November 26-28th, 2025. This conference aims to foster knowledge sharing, reflect on best practices, promote collaboration, and explore solutions to current challenges, while shaping the future of the construction and built environment sectors.  

To further enhance the innovation in the sustainable built environment and display the research results from AUBEA conference, we are pleased to launch a special issue in the journal of Construction Innovation: Information, Process, Management titled Innovation in the sustainable built environment.

We would invite key conference authors who present significant innovations in idenifying, assessing, and promoting sustainability and resilience in the built environment to submit papers for the special issue. By publishing this special issue, we will further strengthen the journal’s reputation within the global construction and built environment community, with a particular emphasis on academic influence in Australasia. This special issue will offer a multidisciplinary perspective on sustainable construction, bridging material science, engineering, policy-making, and environmental assessment. This collection will integrate materials, methods, regulations, and performance evaluation, providing a holistic approach to sustainability in construction.

Sustainable development in the built environment has been a key research focus for over 30 years. Scholars and practitioners have made significant contributions toward improving environmental, social and economic sustainability in building and construction sectors, enterprises, and projects. However, what innovation solutions have been developed and successfully implemented to enhance sustainability in the construction industry? What emerging innovations have the potential to drive sustainable development in the built environment?  

The main evidence to support the need for the Special Issue includes:

• Growing regulatory and policy frameworks that necessitate new research on compliance and effectiveness 
• Recent advancements in sustainable materials and construction methods that require systematic evaluation and dissemination 
• Societal implications, including the urgent need to mitigate climate change and improve resource efficiency in the built environment 
• Existing literature gaps, particularly in linking sustainable materials, construction techniques, and policy impacts with quantitative performance assessment. 
 

List of Topic Areas

​​This special issue invites research articles that explore and promote, innovations in sustainability and resilience within the built environment. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to:

• Construction and climate change adaptation 
​• Digital Transformation and impacts for Sustainable Construction 
​• Enhancing resilience in construction projects 
​• Health and well-being for sustainable built environment 
​• Innovative education and learning in the sustainable and resilient construction sector 
​• Sustainable and resilient performance measurement and assessment 
​• Smart city and buildings 
​• Sustainable construction techniques, controls, policy, and governance 
​• Towards net-zero carbon buildings, infrastructure, and neighborhoods 
​• Embodied, operational, and whole life carbon in building design and construction 
​• Innovations in bio-based and recycled materials for construction 
​• Adaptive reuse, design for disassembly, and dematerialisation as low-carbon strategies
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Submissions Information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available at:  ​ https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ciipm
Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see: ​ https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/ci#jlp_author_guidelines
Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to "Please select the issue you are submitting to".

Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Key Deadlines

Closing date for manuscripts submission: ​31/07/2026​