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Buildings are important consumers of energy; in fact, they represent 30–45% of the global energy use and one-third of total greenhouse gas emissions, as well as contributing to the urban heat-island effect. In consequence, the correct design and execution of buildings, use of new materials that reduce energy demand, and efficient use of renewable energy are all necessary to reduce the impacts that occur during their life-cycle. This book shows some examples, focused on improving the energy-efficiency of buildings, in accordance with circular economy policies and life-cycle phases, including design, construction and use. The editor wishes to thank all the authors for contributing to this book, as well as to the assistance of MDPI’s editorial office.

Technology: general issues --- History of engineering & technology --- climate-oriented --- buildings --- building construction --- climate zones --- climate change --- bibliometric --- climate zone --- building --- energy demand --- building resilience --- air quality --- air pollution --- SUNSPACE --- PM removal --- azure chemistry --- circular economy --- sustainability --- SDG 11 --- SDG 12 --- buying intention --- energy-efficient home appliances --- green self-identity --- theory of planned behavior --- waste glass --- light reflectance --- building material coatings --- soda-lime-silica glass --- lead-silica glass --- cool surface --- cool material --- cool roof --- urban heat island

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Buildings are important consumers of energy; in fact, they represent 30–45% of the global energy use and one-third of total greenhouse gas emissions, as well as contributing to the urban heat-island effect. In consequence, the correct design and execution of buildings, use of new materials that reduce energy demand, and efficient use of renewable energy are all necessary to reduce the impacts that occur during their life-cycle. This book shows some examples, focused on improving the energy-efficiency of buildings, in accordance with circular economy policies and life-cycle phases, including design, construction and use. The editor wishes to thank all the authors for contributing to this book, as well as to the assistance of MDPI’s editorial office.

Technology: general issues --- History of engineering & technology --- climate-oriented --- buildings --- building construction --- climate zones --- climate change --- bibliometric --- climate zone --- building --- energy demand --- building resilience --- air quality --- air pollution --- SUNSPACE --- PM removal --- azure chemistry --- circular economy --- sustainability --- SDG 11 --- SDG 12 --- buying intention --- energy-efficient home appliances --- green self-identity --- theory of planned behavior --- waste glass --- light reflectance --- building material coatings --- soda–lime–silica glass --- lead–silica glass --- cool surface --- cool material --- cool roof --- urban heat island --- n/a --- soda-lime-silica glass --- lead-silica glass

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This reprint aims to address the challenges modern-day buildings face in the context of high energy and resource consumption and climate change. One of the ways to address the issues is holistic design and operation of high-performance buildings in the area of energy efficiency, occupant health, and comfort. All this should be achieved through synergic interconnectedness between parameters such as the indoor–outdoor environment, sustainability, and resilience. Through different chapters, this reprint highlights the key areas, namely, the optimization of building design parameters, the impact of the use of modern-day phase-change materials, the adaptation of occupants and buildings to climate change, the mitigation of urban overheating by cool roofs, and reducing energy demand and CO2 emissions.

Technology: general issues --- History of engineering & technology --- climate change --- bioclimatic design --- passive design --- energy efficiency --- overheating --- building resilience --- robustness --- shape factor --- building --- thermal envelope --- energy demand --- CO2 emissions --- white roofs --- cool roofs --- reflective material --- cost-benefit --- energy savings --- urban heat island --- thermal comfort --- indoor environmental quality --- educational buildings --- energy consumptions --- local discomfort --- building energy retrofitting --- phase change materials --- aerogel render --- heat stress risk --- emission --- lifecycle cost --- peak cooling load --- residential building --- building envelope --- multi-objective genetic algorithm --- TRNSYS --- climate zone --- multi-criteria decision making --- CRITIC --- TOPSIS --- capture devices --- variables --- field surveys --- thermal perceptions --- adaptive actions --- hostel dormitories --- composite climate of India --- reflective materials --- mitigation --- outdoor comfort --- visual comfort --- heat stress --- optimization --- skyscrapers

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The majority of carbon stored in the soils of the world is stored in forests. The refractory nature of some portions of forest soil organic matter also provides the slow, gradual release of organic nitrogen and phosphorus to sustain long term forest productivity. Contemporary and future disturbances, such as climatic warming, deforestation, short rotation sylviculture, the invasion of exotic species, and fire, all place strains on the integrity of this homeostatic system of C, N, and P cycling. On the other hand, the CO2 fertilization effect may partially offset losses of soil organic matter, but many have questioned the ability of N and P stocks to sustain the CO2 fertilization effect. Despite many advances in the understanding of C, N, and P cycling in forest soils, many questions remain. For example, no complete inventory of the myriad structural formulae of soil organic N and P has ever been made. The factors that cause the resistance of soil organic matter to mineralization are still hotly debated. Is it possible to "engineer" forest soil organic matter so that it sequesters even more C? The role of microbial species diversity in forest C, N, and P cycling is poorly understood. The difficulty in measuring the contribution of roots to soil organic C, N, and P makes its contribution uncertain. Finally, global differences in climate, soils, and species make the extrapolation of any one important study difficult to extrapolate to forest soils worldwide.

polyphenols --- aluminum accumulator --- near natural forest management --- chloroform fumigation extraction --- soil structure --- soil enzymes --- manure pelleting --- microbial biomass --- Oxisol --- biolability --- soil nutrients --- second production cycle --- PLFA --- pyrolysis --- Eucalyptus sp. --- Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation --- carbon --- the Three Gorges Reservoir --- revegetation --- carbon distribution index --- climate change --- seasons --- annual increment average --- topography --- humic substances --- litter N --- soil fertility --- climate zone --- nutrient cycling --- Daxing’an Mountains --- carbon mineralization --- nitrification --- 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P NMR) --- organic matter --- throughfall --- forest soil --- dissolved organic carbon (DOC) --- P species --- stoichiometric homeostasis --- dissolved organic matter (DOM) --- soil organic matter fraction --- variable-charge soils --- ammonium --- nitrate --- soil degradation --- soil P fractions --- seasonal trends --- ammonia-oxidizing bacteria --- nitrogen dynamics --- net primary productivity --- soil microbial communities --- beech forests --- soil pH --- wood volume --- temperature --- northern temperate --- multilevel models --- Pinus massoniana plantation --- ammonia-oxidizing archaea --- P stock --- stand density --- P resorption efficiency --- forest types --- soil greenhouse gas flux --- enzyme activities --- soil N --- alpine forest --- moisture gradient --- climate --- climatic factors --- soil available phosphorus --- microbial activity --- soil available nitrogen --- leaf N:P ratio --- stemflow --- Chamaecyparis forest --- charcoal --- gross nitrogen transformations --- principal component analyses --- information review --- manuring --- stand age --- tree-DOM

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Concerns have been raised with respect to the state of high-altitude and high-latitude treelines, as they are anticipated to undergo considerable modifications due to global changes, and especially due to climate warming. As high-elevation treelines are temperature-limited vegetation boundaries, they are considered to be sensitive to climate warming. As a consequence, in this future, warmer environment, an upward migration of treelines is expected because low air and root-zone temperatures constrain their regeneration and growth. Despite the ubiquity of climate warming, treeline advancement is not a worldwide phenomenon: some treelines have been advancing rapidly, others have responded sluggishly or have remained stable. This variation in responses is attributed to the potential interaction of a continuum of site-related factors that may lead to the occurrence of locally conditioned temperature patterns. Competition amongst species and below-ground resources have been suggested as additional factors explaining the variability in the movement of treelines. This Special Issue (book) is dedicated to the discussion of treeline responses to changing environmental conditions in different areas around the globe.

n/a --- tree seedling recruitment --- shrubline --- light quality --- higher altitude --- precipitation --- experimental rain exclusion --- Pinus cembra --- Changbai Mountain --- treeline dynamics --- fungal ecology --- thermal continentality --- tree regeneration --- elevational transect --- monitoring --- conifer shrub --- plant water availability --- permafrost --- foehn winds --- treeline --- Holocene --- nitrogen cycling --- carotenoids --- timberline --- 15N natural abundance --- spectrometer --- basal area increment --- palynology --- xylem embolism --- diversity --- elevational treeline --- European Alps --- temperature --- tree line --- winter stress --- photosynthetic pigments --- Pinus sibirica --- westerly winds --- relative air humidity --- ecosystem manipulation --- Larix decidua --- microsite --- polar treeline --- Central Austrian Alps --- Switzerland --- multi-stemmed growth form --- conifers --- forest edge --- history of treeline research --- soil drought --- dendroclimatology --- knowledge engineering --- Rocky Mountains --- apical control --- cloud --- postglacial --- alpine timberline --- space-for-time substitution --- climate change --- expert elicitation --- shoot elongation --- pit aspiration --- climate warming --- climate zone --- alpine treeline --- refilling --- Abies sibirica --- growth trend --- western Montana --- light quantity --- Picea abies --- Mediterranean climate --- forest climatology --- altitude --- environmental stress --- sub-Antarctic --- Erman’s birch --- photoinhibition --- tocopherol --- elevational gradients --- NDVI --- long-term trends --- sap flow --- peat --- tree seedlings --- Southern Ocean --- chlorophyll --- non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) --- drought --- upward advance --- remote sensing data --- Erman's birch