Green building is an important measure to deal with energy and environment problems in the construction sector of the world. In this study, knowledge mapping analysis is used, and 3,060 articles are selected for further study (1900–2019). Based on CiteSpace (5.3.R4 SE 64-bit), the knowledge base, hot topics and research trends of green-building-related research are presented. The key highlights of the overall analysis results are: (1) Research on green buildings has received more extensive attention in the 21st century.

There are indications that energy-retrofitted buildings can create risks for indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and therefore for health and comfort of occupants. A review was conducted to identify and verify those risks, within three themes: building envelope, heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC)-systems, and occupants. Publications from the last five years in major peer-reviewed journals from different fields (energy, buildings, indoor air, social sciences) were found by using a variety of keywords (health effects, occupant behaviours, energy-efficient retrofitting, etc.).

Cooperation between public and private sector has achieved a remarkable widespread, in the Italian context, over the last two decades. Nevertheless, the increasing difficulty in accessing the capital market and the rising cost of funding sources, both noticeable over the past few years, led to a slowdown of Public–Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives. Meanwhile, the community is expressing new needs to be satisfied, such as the conversion of brownfields, the recovery of housing stock dating back to former times, as well as the refurbishment of public offices or schools.