Optimizing Energy Use, Cost and Carbon Emission through Building Information Modelling and a Sustainability Approach: A Case-Study of a Hospital Building

Shabir Hussain Khahro,Muhammad Saleem Raza,Tauha Hussain Ali,Fida Hussain Siddiqui,Ali Raza Khoso,Danish Kumar

doi:10.3390/su13073675

Abstract

The construction industry (CI) has a significant impact on the environment and on climate change due to the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. Globally accepted Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), specifically SDG 7 (Access to Affordable, Reliable, Sustainable and Modern Energy for All), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) stress the responsible utilization of energy in various industries, including construction. The CI uses almost half of the world’s produced energy. Therefore, this research presents insights into the efficient use of energy in the building sector and shows how energy efficiency can be achieved by altering different parameters and components like orientation, materials, glazing, and HVAC systems through a case study of a hospital building in Green Building Studio (GBS). This paper also aims to use the Building Information Modelling (BIM) approach to make environmentally sustainable decisions to reduce energy waste in projects. Initially, beneficial factors of BIM on green buildings were identified in the literature and later ranked, based on expert opinions collected using a set of questionnaires. Average Index was used for data analysis. The identified benefits were validated by conducting energy analyses on a hospital model through 3D BIM. It was concluded that a substantial share of energy cost, carbon dioxide (CO2), and electricity can be saved using this approach. It was determined that a quick and sustainable design process, improved energy efficiency, enhanced building performance, and provision of better design alternatives are the key benefits of the adoption of BIM by such projects. A Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.822 was obtained, which further validates the results. The proposed approach may lead future structures to be sustainable and enriches the culture of energy-efficient green buildings.

Highlights

The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry has been a big contributor to environmental pollution, producing tons of waste and carbon emissions
The present study sought to identify the benefits of Building Information Modelling (BIM)-based approaches from the literature, and the ranking of identified factors was done through collaboration with green building professionals
It is concluded that BIM-based sustainable approaches expedite the design and execution processes at reduced physical and non-physical resources

Summary

Introduction

The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry has been a big contributor to environmental pollution, producing tons of waste and carbon emissions. The construction industry (CI) produces 50% of landfill wastes and is responsible for around. 40% of the pollution detected in drinking water. It causes around 23% of air pollution [1], and uses 40% of the world’s energy, mostly in the operation phase, producing a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3675 to cut carbon emissions and reduce waste. A recent conference was focused solely on the urgency of the issue of greenhouse gas emissions and the adoption of sustainable and green practices [2].

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