BIM-PDCA framework for low-carbon hospital operation in hot-summer, warm-winter regions

This case study presents the first year-round, independently audited evidence that integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) with a Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)-based management framework can enable rapid, cost-effective decarbonization in a large hospital in a hot-summer, warm-winter (HSWW) climate (Koppen Cfa). At the Branch Campus of Fujian Provincial Maternity and Child Health Hospital in southeast China, the hospital was newly constructed and thus offered a unique opportunity to embed energy-efficiency measures from inception. Eight coordinated measures, involving heating, cooling, automation controls, and kitchen electrification, were implemented from April 2022 to March 2023. Metering and financial audits confirmed a 12.5% drop in electricity use (−1.77 GWh) and 1011 t CO₂-equivalent abatement within 12 months. All measures achieved payback within one year, with the automation upgrades delivering the highest carbon reduction per unit of investment (¥408/t CO₂). PDCA loops embedded in the BIM platform enabled synchronized monitoring, response, and optimization. Beyond carbon and cost, the interventions delivered clinically relevant improvements in patient safety: indoor CO fell from 8 to 12 ppm to