This study explores the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the behavior and knowledge of final-year architectural students in Serbia and Montenegro. It aims to describe how students approach sustainability in architecture and their use of AI tools within this context. The primary objective is to analyze how AI affects students’ understanding of sustainable architecture indicators and how sustainability challenges and concerns influence AI applications. Using a comparative analysis approach across the two countries, this research employs surveys to test various hypotheses regarding the effects of AI on students’ perceptions of sustainability and their use of AI to achieve sustainable outcomes. The findings highlight a significant relationship between students’ knowledge of sustainability and their use of AI, revealing different influencing factors. These insights are essential for predicting future AI usage in architectural practice and provide a theoretical foundation for assumptions about sustainability in architecture. This study’s findings offer valuable guidance for refining curricula at the universities involved, aiming to enhance the integration of AI and sustainability in architectural education.

Influences from the modern business environment indicate the need for the incorporation of sustainability concepts from an innovation system perspective. In the presented research, we emphasize the energy efficiency concept within the frame of sustainability and innovation. The aim of this research was to underline and explore the relationships between innovation, energy efficiency, and sustainability in the construction industry. To answer the research questions, a questionnaire was created to explore the impact of the energy efficiency certification process on the innovation behavior of construction industry enterprises in Serbia. The results show that energy efficiency has supported innovation, and that there exists a relationship between sustainability and innovativeness in the construction industry. Applying energy efficiency passports has influenced the co-operation of enterprises in the construction sector and other actors in the national innovation system in Serbia. The innovation concept demonstrates that enterprises in the construction industry should be observed as a part of the wider picture—the national innovation system. In turn, the specific context of a particular national innovation system should be seen within the wider picture of national innovation systems of Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs).

This research addresses the challenge of enhancing energy efficiency in public buildings while maintaining or improving occupant comfort. With stricter modern energy regulations, many older facilities, such as sports halls built between 1960 and 1980, face the need for renovation to meet current standards. The central research question investigates what measures can be implemented to improve the energy efficiency of sports halls without compromising comfort for the occupants. This study examines strategies, techniques, and possibilities for optimizing energy performance during the rehabilitation of universal sports halls within sports centers. It includes a theoretical and analytical evaluation of various measures in line with existing regulations and thermal comfort requirements. This research uses simulation software, the Integrated Environmental Solutions Virtual Environment, to model different Passive House measures applied to a case study of a sports center built in 1976 in Belgrade. This study provides practical guidelines for enhancing thermal insulation on the building’s envelope to achieve energy savings. The application of these measures demonstrates that significant energy savings can be realized by focusing on specific sections of the building, such as the administrative areas, rather than the entire facility. The findings offer valuable insights into energy-optimization strategies for existing sports facilities, highlighting the practical application of measures to improve energy performance in a real-world context. The results contribute to the development of effective renovation practices for older sports buildings, ensuring they meet modern energy efficiency standards while maintaining optimal comfort for users.

The reduction of energy demand for space cooling requires adequate solutions at building and built environment scales in order to achieve sustainability goals. Since many existing buildings have inadequate envelopes for reducing heat gains in summer and heat losses in winter, environmentally friendly renovation techniques have to be considered. The roofs of existing buildings were identified as a field of intervention which could contribute to providing both energy savings and environmental benefits. The aim of the paper was to evaluate the contribution of green roofs to energy savings for space cooling depending on the building shape factor. Two groups of building models, with vertical and horizontal expansions, were analysed. The comparative analyses of the building models with conventional and green roofs showed small reduction of energy consumption less than 1% in case of well-insulated roofs with the addition of the extensive green roof. The comparison of different building models with green roofs of the same volume, which is in this case the same cooling area, indicated a more effective solution for green roofs implementation with the aim to improve energy performances of existing buildings using this passive design technique.

To achieve material efficiency, the ongoing initiative to improve thermal properties of family houses in the Republic of Serbia should include harmonization with internationally established and nationally adjusted principles of circular economy. The overall aim of this study was to propose a methodology for optimal decision making between alternative materials and components for energy refurbishment of façades in existing family houses. Together with developed criteria, and their belonging indicators, the methodology was tested on selected case study houses located in the central zone of the city of Belgrade. Using the VIKOR method, five suggested scenarios and three sub-scenarios for façade thermal upgrades were assessed against five determined types of criteria: Economic Cost, Function, Circularity Features, Appearance, and Innovativeness. Obtained results—ranking lists of proposed scenarios—indicate that the optimal solution for energy refurbishment of façades in existing houses could include polyurethane insulation material in combination with the wooden window frames and low-E insulation glass. In future research, it will be necessary to introduce an additional assessment criterion related to the ecological quality of proposed scenarios, as the study revealed that a gap between circularity-related quality, and ecological sustainability, of building materials could be significant.

This paper provides a comparative analysis of green building strategies in circular cities from an architectural perspective. It focuses on Belgrade, Serbia, which has a temperate continental climate, and Podgorica, Montenegro, with a mild subtropical climate. The data were gathered through an online questionnaire disseminated among 140 architects in both cities. A five-point Likert scale was applied, and the data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, version 23). Descriptive statistics, factor analysis, reliability testing, and group comparison methods were employed to ensure a valid, reliable, and transparent framework for processing and interpreting the research of data. By analyzing locally available materials, technologies, and climate factors, the research found that the adoption of circular economy principles does not significantly differ between the cities. This suggests that economic and policy-related factors may have a greater influence than initially expected. Additionally, there was no significant difference in the integration of greening strategies integration (p = 0.08), challenging the assumption that climate-responsive design would lead to distinct variations in urban form. However, locally available materials and technologies had a stronger impact on green building practices in Serbia (p = 0.01). The study highlights that sustainable architecture is shaped by a combination of local resources, regulatory frameworks, and socio-economic conditions rather than climate factors alone. These insights contribute to the theoretical advancement of climate-smart green building strategies in circular cities. They provide valuable guidance for practitioners and policymakers. Future research should further explore the interplay of socio-economic and regulatory influences to refine strategies for climate-responsive and circular architecture.