Vol. 2 No. 3 (2025)
Volume 2, Number 3

Articles

Carbon emission measurement and reduction analysis of typical campus buildings using BIM and LCA

Published 31.05.2025

  • Xianquan Cai
    • ,
  • Xuejiao Zheng

Xianquan Cai
School of Construction, Guangdong Technology College, Zhaoqing 526000, China

Xuejiao Zheng
School of Art Design, Guangdong Technology College, Zhaoqing 526000, China

Abstract

In the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, the carbon emission issue in the construction sector has become increasingly salient. Campus buildings, being vital carriers of campus activities, significantly influence the sustainable development of the entire campus via their carbon emission profiles. To comprehensively evaluate the life cycle carbon emissions of typical campus public buildings, this study utilizes Building Information Models(BIM) to gather data on material and energy consumption at all stages, namely raw material procurement, construction, operation, and demolition of campus buildings. A life cycle carbon emission model for a building at a university in Hangzhou is constructed to calculate and analyze the carbon emission characteristics and intensities of each stage. The results indicate that the building in this project has a life cycle carbon emission of 15,718.97 tCO₂e. Through building material recycling and greening measures, a carbon emission reduction of 1,311.48 tCO₂e is attained. After accounting for carbon emission reduction, the life cycle carbon emission intensity of the project building is 1,884.74 kgCO₂e/m². The carbon emissions during the operation phase account for 85.01% of the total life cycle, primarily due to the high energy consumption of the HVAC system during operation. Moreover, the carbon emissions in the production stage of construction materials account for 18.36% of the total life cycle, which is mainly associated with the quantities of steel bars and concrete required for the project construction. This research offers a reference for the low-carbon development of campus buildings and facilitates the construction industry's shift towards green and low-carbon development.

Keywords

Carbon emissions; Campus buildings; Emission intensity; Building information model(BIM); Life cycle assessment(LCA)

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