A Carbon Footprint (CF) is defined as the total emissions of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, and is a specific type of Environmental Footprint that measures human impact on the environment. Carbon dioxide emissions are a major contributor to anthropogenic greenhouse gases driving climate change. Wood, as a renewable and ecological material, has relatively low carbon emissions. The study aimed to review and analyze the criteria influencing the feasibility of constructing modern zero-carbon wooden buildings. The review was conducted in two phases: (i) a literature review and (ii) an assessment of existing buildings. The preliminary research led to (i) narrowing the focus to the years 2020–2024 and (ii) identifying key criteria for analysis: sustainable material sourcing, carbon sequestration, energy efficiency, life cycle assessment (LCA), and innovative construction practices. The study’s findings indicate that all these criteria play a vital role in the design and construction of new zero-carbon wooden buildings. They highlight the significant potential of wood as a renewable material in achieving zero-carbon buildings (ZCBs), positioning it as a compelling alternative to traditional construction materials. However, the research also underscores that despite wood’s numerous potential benefits, its implementation in ZCBs faces several challenges, including social, regulatory, and financial barriers.

Due to rapid economic development, high energy consumption, and the depletion of natural resources, resulting in climate change, urban planners and architects face the difficult task of creating a new type of sustainable city that takes into account rapid population growth. The aim of this article is to examine the development of contemporary forms of high-rise architecture and the role of the vertical city in responding to shrinking space and developing a realistic strategy for sustainable urban development. Literature analysis, case studies, and multidisciplinary analysis are used. Pro-ecological solutions are identified and analyzed using the most representative buildings in Asia and a theoretical example in Nanjing. The examples are characterized by above-average height, unusual shapes, and the use of advanced pro-ecological strategies. Greenery plays a key role, including regulating the temperature inside the building. Vertical multifunctionality is becoming an increasingly common response to increasing spatial needs. The apparent lack of understanding of the development of high-rise buildings in cities around the world, extending beyond individual skyscrapers, constitutes a research gap. This article discusses Chongqing, an example of a vertical city, which is understood not only in terms of individual high-rise buildings but also as a whole structure. The study addresses the issue of a new type of compact city: the vertical city. The article provides key guidelines and constraints for creating densely populated, yet sustainable and environmentally friendly cities of the future. The practical application of the study can be utilized by urban planners and decision-makers.

Structural health monitoring (SHM) has evolved into an indispensable component for ensuring the safety, durability, and life-cycle efficiency of civil infrastructure. Over the past five years, significant technological advancements have been made in innovative sensing systems, facilitating real-time assessment of structural performance and the early detection of deterioration. This comprehensive review presents recent developments in smart sensor-based SHM, with particular emphasis on the convergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and digital twin (DT) frameworks. Our review critically examines advances in fiber-optic, piezoelectric, MEMS-based, vision-based, acoustic, and environmental sensors, as well as emerging multi-sensor fusion architectures. In addition, bibliometric insights highlight the significant rise in global research activity and influential thematic clusters in SHM between 2020 and 2025. The discussion underscores how AI-integrated data analytics, IoT-enabled wireless networks, and DT-driven virtual replicas enable intelligent, autonomous, and predictive monitoring of bridges, buildings, tunnels, and other large-scale civil infrastructure. Field deployments and case studies are analyzed to bridge the gap between laboratory-scale demonstrations and real-world implementation. Finally, key scientific and practical challenges—including the durability of embedded sensors, the interoperability of heterogeneous data, cybersecurity in connected systems, and the explainability of AI models—are outlined to guide future research. Overall, this review positions contemporary SHM as a transition from traditional damage detection to comprehensive life-cycle management of infrastructure through self-diagnosing, data-centric, and sustainability-driven monitoring ecosystems.

Some of the most significant problems of industrialised countries are increasing consumerism, the growing demand for more and more energy and other natural resources, and the depletion of non-renewable sources. The visible consequences are environmental pollution and global warming. To address these issues, there is growing pressure on the use of alternative energy sources, the use of natural resources and the introduction of new technologies. The use of multi-criteria building certification systems, which evaluate their performance, is becoming increasingly common in the building industry. The BREEAM, the LEED, and the DGNB are among the most popular methods for assessing sustainable architecture, and they project management tools. The main task of the article was to define and describe the impact of documents related to sustainable development certificates on contemporary design and living and working conditions, as well as to demonstrate the relationship between the quality of architecture and environmental protection. Another goal is to indicate how dynamically the number of certificates issued in Poland is increasing. The study used the necessary research methods: analysis and criticism of applicable documents and literature, as well as an intuitive method based on personal experience. The scope of the work includes a discussion of the most frequently obtained certificates: the BREEAM, the LEED, and the DGNB, the achievements of which prove the use of solutions conducive to sustainable development. Jednymi z największych problemów krajów uprzemysłowionych jest postępujący konsumpcjonizm, rosnące zapotrzebowanie na coraz większą ilość energii i innych zasobów naturalnych oraz wyczerpywanie się nieodnawialnych źródeł. Widocznymi skutkami są zanieczyszczenie środowiska i globalne ocieplenie. Ograniczoność zasobów może prowadzić do globalnego kataklizmu. W celu przeciwdziałania wymienionym problemom, coraz większy nacisk kładziony jest na wykorzystywanie alternatywnych źródeł energii, korzystania z zasobów naturalnych oraz wdrażania nowych technologii. Coraz powszechniej stosowane są w budownictwie systemy certyfikacji wielokryterialnej budynków, które oceniają ich wydajność. BREEAM, LEED i DGNB należą do najpopularniejszych metod oceny zrównoważonego budownictwa, stanowiących narzędzie do zarządzania projektem. Głównym zadaniem jest poprawa wpływu na środowisko. Celem pracy jest zbadanie jaki wpływ na współczesne projektowanie i warunki mieszkaniowe, pracy, mają dokumenty związane z certyfikatami zrównoważonego rozwoju a także wykazanie związku pomiędzy jakością architektury a ochroną środowiska. W badaniu zastosowano niezbędne metody badawcze: analizę i krytykę obowiązujących dokumentów, literatury a także metodę intuicyjną opartą na osobistym doświadczeniu. Zakres pracy obejmuje omówienie najczęściej uzyskiwanych certyfikatów: BREEAM, LEED i DGNB, których uzyskanie świadczy o zastosowaniu rozwiązań sprzyjających zrównoważonemu rozwojowi.

Rapid urbanization, rising energy consumption, and the environmental pressures of the 21st century have led the construction sector to focus on sustainable design solutions to protect the natural environment and combat climate change. Technological advances are leading to an increasing number of ultratall buildings. However, due to the complex issues involved, these structures currently serve primarily as symbols and serve as testing grounds for technological innovation. Therefore, there is a clear need to analyze the issues involved in designing high-rise buildings sustainably in the context of contemporary environmental challenges. Global multi-criteria certifications exist to establish parameters verifying a building’s impact on its surroundings. This study systematically assessed the sustainable strategies of the world’s twenty tallest buildings using a four-category model: A—passive design, B—active mechanical systems, C—renewable energy integration, and D—materials, water, and circularity strategies. The quantitative assessment (0–60) was supplemented with qualitative analysis and correlational research, including LEED certification. A novel element of the study is a multi-criteria comparative analysis, culminating in an assessment of the degree of implementation of sustainable development strategies in the world’s tallest buildings and linking the results to LEED certification levels. The results identify categories requiring further improvement. The results indicate that Merdeka 118 (46.7%), followed One World Trade Center (43.3%) and Shanghai Tower (41.7%) received the highest scores. Category B dominated all buildings, categories A and D demonstrated moderate implementation, and category C demonstrated the lowest performance due to economic and technical constraints at extreme heights. LEED Platinum-certified buildings demonstrated significantly higher levels of technology integration than Gold or non-certified buildings. The study results emphasize the need for integrating passive design strategies early in the design process, improving renewable energy solutions, and long-term operational monitoring supported by digital tools (such as IoT and digital twins).

The deflection of a concrete beam was measured using various sensors, and the resulting data were used in this article to assess the machine learning models. Support Vector Regression (SVR), Random Forest (RF), Genetic Programming (GP), and the Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) were used to predict the deflection of concrete beams at L/3, L/2, and 2 L/3. Various types of sensors, including a force-resisting sensor (FSR), a flex sensor (FLS), a piezoelectric sensor (PZS), and a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometer, were employed in structural health monitoring (SHM). A total of 400 experimental load–deflection data points, obtained from four sensors under gradually applied static loads ranging from 0 kN to 100 kN, were used to train and validate SVR, RF, GP, and BPNN models. Loads and sensor types were considered inputs, and the corresponding deflection, as computed by the sensor, was the output. The adopted ML models have performed well in predicting the deflection; however, the BPNN and GP models predict more accurately with fewer errors. To justify the potential of the adopted models, various statistical analyses have been carried out. Statistical evaluations show that the BPNN model achieved the lowest MAPE (10.68%) and highest correlation (R = 0.92), outperforming other models. Moreover, the Taylor diagram was used for further assessments, and plots were used to determine outliers and leverage.