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

Author

Listed:
  • 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)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Li Zhao & Cheng Guo & Leduan Chen & Liping Qiu & Weiwei Wu & Qingqin Wang, 2024. "Using BIM and LCA to Calculate the Life Cycle Carbon Emissions of Inpatient Building: A Case Study in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:13:p:5341-:d:1420637
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zini, Marco & Carcasci, Carlo, 2023. "Machine learning-based monitoring method for the electricity consumption of a healthcare facility in Italy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 262(PB).
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    Cited by:

    1. Liangzheng Wu & Kaiman Li & Yan Huang & Zhengdong Wan & Jieren Tan, 2025. "Optimization of carbon footprint management model of electric power enterprises based on artificial intelligence," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(1), pages 1-26, January.
    2. Sophia Silvia Pibal & Rene Bittner & Iva Kovacic, 2025. "A BIM-Based Framework for Life Cycle, Cost, and Circularity Data Integration in Environmental Impact Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-37, March.
    3. Weixian Che & Yanfeng Wang & Wenwei Zhu & Lexin Hong & Can Fang & Huijun Wu & Jia Liu, 2024. "A Review of Carbon Emission Reduction During the Operation Stage of Substations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-22, November.

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