Development of a Carbon Emissions Analysis Framework Using Building Information Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment for the Construction of Hospital Projects

Kun Lu, Xiaoyan Jiang, Vivian W. Y. Tam, Mengyun Li, Hongyu Wang, Bo Xia and Qing Chen
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Kun Lu: School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
Xiaoyan Jiang: School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
Vivian W. Y. Tam: School of Built Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2750, Australia
Mengyun Li: School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
Hongyu Wang: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Bo Xia: School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
Qing Chen: School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 22, 1-18

Abstract: Buildings produce a large amount of carbon emissions in their life cycle, which intensifies greenhouse-gas effects and has become a great threat to the survival of humans and other species. Although many previous studies shed light on the calculation of carbon emissions, a systematic analysis framework is still missing. Therefore, this study proposes an analysis framework of carbon emissions based on building information modeling (BIM) and life cycle assessment (LCA), which consists of four steps: (1) defining the boundary of carbon emissions in a life cycle; (2) establishing a carbon emission coefficients database for Chinese buildings and adopting Revit, GTJ2018, and Green Building Studio for inventory analysis; (3) calculating carbon emissions at each stage of the life cycle; and (4) explaining the calculation results of carbon emissions. The framework developed is validated using a case study of a hospital project, which is located in areas in Anhui, China with a hot summer and a cold winter. The results show that the reinforced concrete engineering contributes to the largest proportion of carbon emissions (around 49.64%) in the construction stage, and the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) generates the largest proportion (around 53.63%) in the operational stage. This study provides a practical reference for similar buildings in analogous areas and for additional insights on reducing carbon emissions in the future.

Keywords: carbon emissions; building information modeling (BIM); life cycle assessment (LCA); analysis framework; Chinese hospital; carbon coefficient database; sustainable green building; hot summer; cold winter (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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