Accepted Manuscript , Available online 2026-10-28
, doi: 10.1016/j.taml.2026.100757
Abstract:
Mechanical and multi-physics metamaterials offer a fundamentally different paradigm for structural engineering: rather than relying on composition or geometric size alone, their properties are encoded in multi-scale architecture. This review critically examines how metamaterial concepts may reshape the future of structural engineering through balancing sustainability and high performance, enabling multi-physics function, and upgrading of existing structures. First, we summarize load-bearing metamaterials that provide programmed collapse, energy absorption, quasi-zero-stiffness isolation, and elastic-wave control using various geometric options and composite manner. Second, we expect multi-physics metamaterials that may enable acoustic and elastic wave manipulation, passive thermal regulation, electromagnetic response, self-sensing, energy harvesting, and hydrodynamic wave control without sacrificing load-bearing capacity. Third, we analyze metamaterial-enabled retrofitting strategies for aging buildings and infrastructure, including attached resonant systems, architected confinement layers, prestressing-assisted strengthening, and reconfigurable interventions for local vibration suppression, stress redistribution, and adaptive service-life extension. Despite impressive advances at the unit-cell and component scales, this review also identifies five critical barriers to engineering implementation, including cross-scale design and modeling, large-scale manufacturing, long-term durability/reliability under coupled environmental factors, defect-tolerant quality control, and code acceptance. The review concludes that civil metamaterials should be regarded not as direct substitutes for conventional construction materials, but rather as programmable composite systems whose engineering value depends on validated mechanics, manufacturable design, life-cycle performance, and code-recognized performance criteria. A staged research roadmap is also proposed.