Climate change and global warming increasingly require artificial climate control to alleviate thermal discomfort in buildings. Reflective materials, while effective for passive cooling in hot climates, degrade over time due to particle deposition and microbial growth, and can be less effective in climates with wide temperature swings, resulting in a greater need for artificial cooling. Thermochromic and self-cleaning materials are promising alternatives. The former adjusts reflectance with temperature changes, whereas the latter provide superhydrophobic surfaces and can degrade organic compounds, potentially extending the life of the building envelope. This paper analyzed recent advances and shortcomings in the use of such materials in buildings. A bibliometric analysis of 123 articles showed that most were published in 2022 (24.39%), predominantly from China (52.99%). Although their focus was primarily on translucent building envelopes (85.33%), application to opaque surfaces such as roofs (9.33%) and walls (5.33%) remained limited. Despite the growing interest, there were significant research gaps in the application of these materials to opaque surfaces, particularly roofs, which contribute significantly to heat gain in low-rise buildings in hot climates and are more exposed to natural degradation than other building surfaces.