Using BIM and LCA to Calculate the Life Cycle Carbon Emissions of Inpatient Building: A Case Study in China

Li Zhao, Cheng Guo (), Leduan Chen, Liping Qiu, Weiwei Wu and Qingqin Wang
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Li Zhao: China Academy of Building Research, Beijing 100013, China
Cheng Guo: China Academy of Building Research, Beijing 100013, China
Leduan Chen: China Academy of Building Research, Beijing 100013, China
Liping Qiu: China Academy of Building Research, Beijing 100013, China
Weiwei Wu: China Academy of Building Research, Beijing 100013, China
Qingqin Wang: China Academy of Building Research, Beijing 100013, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 13, 1-20

Abstract: Hospital buildings provide healthcare services at the costs of significant amounts of energy consumption and carbon emissions, further exacerbating the environmental load. Because of the limited research on the life cycle carbon emissions of Chinese hospitals, this study conducted a detailed carbon-accounting and comparative study. Firstly, BIM and LCA were used to quantify the carbon emissions of the inpatient building in each stage of the life cycle. Secondly, the differences in carbon emissions by stage were compared on the basis of 20 cases of public buildings. The results show that the whole-life carbon emissions of the inpatient building was 10,459.94 kgCO 2 /m 2 . The proportion of operational carbon emissions was 94.68%, with HVAC (52.57%), equipment (27.85%), and lighting (10.11%) being the main sources. Embodied carbon emissions accounted for 4.54%, and HRB400 steel and C30 concrete were the main sources of carbon emissions. Hospitals are second only to emporiums in terms of operational carbon intensity, being 1.71 and 1.41 times that of schools and office buildings, with inpatient buildings being 3 and 1.7 times that of medical complexes and outpatient buildings, respectively. The future sustainable development of hospital buildings should promote efficient building performance and good environmental quality, both in terms of energy efficiency and carbon reduction.

Keywords: hospital; carbon emission; case study; life cycle assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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