Journal of Materials for the Built Environment

Journal Information

Journal of Materials for the Built Environment (JMBE) is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal exploring how materials, material systems, and material-based technologies shape the design, construction, performance, adaptation, and sustainability of the built environment.

• Open Access: Articles are freely available to readers worldwide. An Article Processing Charge (APC) is payable by the author, their institution, or other funding body upon acceptance, subject to applicable waivers.

• ISSN: Forthcoming

• Frequency: Quarterly (4 issues per year)

• License: CC BY 4.0

• Publisher: Sunlit Grove Publishing

Recognition of Reviewers

JMBE recognizes the important contribution of peer reviewers to maintaining the quality and integrity of scholarly communication. Reviewers who provide timely and substantive peer-review reports may receive vouchers for a discount on the APC of their next eligible publication in a Sunlit Grove Publishing journal, subject to the applicable terms.

Aim and Scope

Journal of Materials for the Built Environment (JMBE) is an interdisciplinary open access journal examining the relationships between materials, buildings, and the broader built environment.

The journal is positioned at the intersection of materials science, architecture, building engineering, construction, environmental design, and sustainability. Rather than considering materials solely as isolated technical products, JMBE explores how material properties, material systems, and material-based technologies interact with building design, construction processes, environmental performance, human use, adaptation, and long-term sustainability.

JMBE welcomes research across multiple scales, from material development and characterization to building applications, architectural integration, infrastructure, and broader built-environment outcomes. The journal particularly encourages interdisciplinary studies that connect material innovation with real-world challenges such as decarbonization, circularity, climate resilience, digital transformation, resource efficiency, and adaptive development.

Scope of the Journal

JMBE welcomes original research articles, reviews, perspectives, methodological contributions, and applied studies across the following interconnected areas.

1. Materials for Buildings and the Built Environment

Research on materials and material systems developed, modified, evaluated, or applied in building and built-environment contexts, including:

• Cementitious materials and alternative binder systems

• Concrete and advanced concrete technologies

• Sustainable and low-carbon materials

• Bio-based and bio-inspired materials

• Recycled and waste-derived materials

• Engineered timber and mass timber

• Advanced composites and hybrid materials

• Functional and smart materials

• Responsive and adaptive materials

• Building envelope and façade materials

• Materials for climate-resilient construction

• Emerging materials and material systems for buildings and infrastructure

2. Material Performance and Building Applications

Research investigating material behavior and performance within buildings, construction systems, and environmental conditions, including:

• Mechanical and structural performance

• Thermal and hygrothermal performance

• Acoustic performance

• Fire performance and safety

• Durability and service life

• Moisture and environmental resistance

• Building envelope performance

• Material–building interaction

• Material behavior under climatic and environmental conditions

• Performance-based material selection and optimization

• Experimental, numerical, and computational evaluation of materials and building systems

3. Materials, Architecture, and Design

Research examining how material properties, systems, and technologies influence architectural design, building assemblies, and spatial outcomes, including:

• Material-driven and material-informed architectural design

• Material systems and building assemblies

• Material expression, performance, and constructability

• Design for disassembly, reuse, and adaptation

• Adaptive and responsive architecture

• Material selection and optimization

• Material innovation in architectural practice

• Relationships between material properties, spatial design, and building performance

• Computational and generative approaches to material-informed design

• Material applications in architecture and environmental design

4. Construction, Fabrication, and Digital Technologies

Research connecting materials with emerging approaches to construction, fabrication, and digital production, including:

• Digital fabrication

• Additive manufacturing and 3D printing

• Robotic construction

• Computational fabrication

• Automated construction

• Prefabrication and modular systems

• Advanced construction technologies

• Digital workflows connecting materials, design, and construction

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning for materials and construction

• Computational optimization of material and construction systems

5. Sustainable and Circular Material Systems

Research addressing the environmental, resource, and lifecycle implications of materials and construction, including:

• Circular construction and material cycles

• Material reuse, recovery, and recycling

• Construction and demolition waste

• Material passports and traceability

• Embodied carbon and carbon reduction

• Life-cycle assessment and environmental performance

• Resource-efficient construction

• Low-carbon and net-zero building systems

• Regenerative material systems

• Climate adaptation and resilience

• Sustainable material sourcing and management

6. Materials and the Broader Built Environment

JMBE also welcomes material-related research at scales beyond individual buildings, particularly where materials and material systems interact with urban, landscape, infrastructural, or public environments.

Relevant topics include:

• Urban materials and material systems

• Public-space environments

• Landscape materials and landscape infrastructure

• Urban environmental performance

• Climate-resilient built environments

• Infrastructure and public structures

• Heritage buildings, material conservation, and adaptive reuse

• Building transformation and retrofit

• Temporary and deployable structures

• Material systems for resilient communities

• Relationships between material systems, the built environment, and human experience

Interdisciplinary Research

JMBE particularly encourages research that connects traditionally distinct disciplines and demonstrates meaningful relationships between materials and the environments in which people live, work, and interact.

Relevant contributions may draw upon:

• Materials Science and Engineering

• Architecture and Architectural Design

• Civil and Structural Engineering

• Construction Science and Technology

• Building Physics

• Environmental Design

• Landscape Architecture

• Urban Design and Planning

• Manufacturing and Digital Fabrication

• Sustainability Science

• Computational Design and Data Science

The journal is especially interested in research demonstrating meaningful connections between material properties, material systems, design decisions, construction processes, environmental performance, human use and experience, and broader built-environment outcomes.

From Materials to the Built Environment

JMBE considers research across a connected pathway:

Material Development → Material Design → Processing & Fabrication → Performance → Building & Architectural Integration → Environmental Application → Built-Environment Outcomes

The journal does not require a submission to address every stage of this pathway. Rather, research should demonstrate a clear and meaningful connection between its primary contribution and the built environment.

What JMBE Looks For

JMBE seeks research with clear research questions, appropriate methodology, sufficient evidence, rigorous analysis, and a meaningful contribution to knowledge or practice.

Particular consideration is given to work that demonstrates:

• Clear relevance to the journal's scope

• Appropriate and transparent research methodology

• Robust experimental, computational, theoretical, or empirical evidence

• Meaningful analysis and interpretation

• Relevance to buildings or the broader built environment

• Interdisciplinary significance where appropriate

• Potential contribution to design, construction, performance, sustainability, or environmental practice

Material novelty alone is not sufficient for JMBE. Research primarily concerned with the synthesis, characterization, or fundamental properties of a material should demonstrate a meaningful connection to buildings, construction, architecture, infrastructure, environmental design, or another relevant built-environment application.

Similarly, studies in architecture, urban design, landscape architecture, or environmental design should demonstrate a substantive relationship to materials, material systems, material-based technologies, or material-related performance and outcomes.

Journal Positioning

JMBE is positioned at the intersection of materials and the built environment.

The journal is not limited to research focused exclusively on the development or characterization of materials, nor does it seek to cover the full breadth of architecture, urban studies, or built-environment research independently of materials.

Instead, JMBE focuses on the connections between materials, material systems, material-based technologies, and the environments in which they are designed, constructed, used, adapted, and experienced.

This positioning provides a platform for research that connects traditionally separated research communities and examines how material innovation can contribute to the design, construction, performance, sustainability, resilience, and transformation of the built environment.

Article Types

JMBE welcomes the following types of scholarly contributions:

Research Articles

Original research presenting substantial findings supported by appropriate methodology, evidence, and analysis.

Review Articles

Comprehensive or focused reviews that synthesize existing knowledge, identify research gaps, and provide insights into emerging directions.

Perspectives

Concise, forward-looking contributions discussing emerging issues, concepts, technologies, challenges, or research directions relevant to the journal.

Methodological Contributions

Contributions presenting new or substantially improved methods, frameworks, computational approaches, analytical techniques, or research methodologies relevant to materials and the built environment.

Applied Studies

Research addressing practical applications, case-based investigations, implementation, or evaluation of materials and material systems in real-world built-environment contexts.

Open Access

JMBE is a Gold Open Access journal.

All published articles are freely and permanently accessible online under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) License, unless otherwise stated.

Readers may access, share, and reuse published content in accordance with the terms of the applicable Creative Commons license.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

JMBE operates under an open access publishing model. Article Processing Charges (APCs), where applicable, support editorial administration, peer-review coordination, production, digital publication, online hosting, and long-term access to published content.

The APC may be revised from time to time as the journal develops and its publishing profile evolves. Any changes will be clearly communicated on the journal website before taking effect.

Waivers and APC Support

Full or partial APC waivers may be available for eligible authors from low-income economies in accordance with applicable international classifications and the journal's waiver policy.

Early-career researchers and authors with limited funding may also contact the editorial office to request consideration for APC support where appropriate.

APC payment or waiver status does not influence editorial assessment, peer review, or publication decisions.

Publication Information

All published articles are assigned a persistent Digital Object Identifier (DOI) through Crossref to support reliable identification, citation, linking, and discoverability.

Publisher

Journal of Materials for the Built Environment (JMBE) is published by Sunlit Grove Publishing, an independent academic publisher based in Hong Kong.

Sunlit Grove Publishing supports open, transparent, and sustainable scholarly communication across disciplinary boundaries.

Scholarship without silos. Open without compromise.