TY - JOUR
T1 - Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Healthcare Buildings
T2 - A Policy Framework
AU - Ullah, Zeeshan
AU - Nasir, Abdur Rehman
AU - Alqahtani, Fahad K.
AU - Ullah, Fahim
AU - Thaheem, Muhammad Jamaluddin
AU - Maqsoom, Ahsen
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - The healthcare industry significantly impacts the environment due to its high usage of energy and natural resources and the associated waste generation. This study applied a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) approach to assess the environmental and social life cycles of public hospitals. One hundred twenty-four public hospitals were selected for the current study; their sustainability performance was compared with those certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The comparison revealed several factors contributing to the poor sustainability performance of public hospitals. These include inadequate management, substandard planning, political interference, insufficient staffing and funding, high energy consumption, high expenses, inconsistent healthcare policies, and conventional building designs. System thinking was leveraged, and a causal loop diagram (CLD) was developed to visualize the interdependency of the identified indicators of LCSA. Based on the findings of the study, a policy framework is proposed to guide the development of sustainable healthcare buildings. The framework includes using eco-friendly materials and techniques in construction, harnessing solar energy, improving hospital management practices, promoting public awareness about sustainability, conserving energy and water, and adopting sustainable waste management and transportation. Additionally, it emphasizes addressing social issues such as improving indoor air quality, thermal comfort, lighting, acoustics, patient safety, and security and ensuring that healthcare services are accessible and affordable. This study contributes to the literature on sustainable healthcare buildings by providing a practical policy framework for achieving sustainability in the healthcare sector.
AB - The healthcare industry significantly impacts the environment due to its high usage of energy and natural resources and the associated waste generation. This study applied a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) approach to assess the environmental and social life cycles of public hospitals. One hundred twenty-four public hospitals were selected for the current study; their sustainability performance was compared with those certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The comparison revealed several factors contributing to the poor sustainability performance of public hospitals. These include inadequate management, substandard planning, political interference, insufficient staffing and funding, high energy consumption, high expenses, inconsistent healthcare policies, and conventional building designs. System thinking was leveraged, and a causal loop diagram (CLD) was developed to visualize the interdependency of the identified indicators of LCSA. Based on the findings of the study, a policy framework is proposed to guide the development of sustainable healthcare buildings. The framework includes using eco-friendly materials and techniques in construction, harnessing solar energy, improving hospital management practices, promoting public awareness about sustainability, conserving energy and water, and adopting sustainable waste management and transportation. Additionally, it emphasizes addressing social issues such as improving indoor air quality, thermal comfort, lighting, acoustics, patient safety, and security and ensuring that healthcare services are accessible and affordable. This study contributes to the literature on sustainable healthcare buildings by providing a practical policy framework for achieving sustainability in the healthcare sector.
KW - buildings
KW - causal loop diagram
KW - construction projects
KW - life cycle sustainability assessment
KW - policy framework
KW - sustainable healthcare
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85172776432&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/buildings13092143
DO - 10.3390/buildings13092143
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85172776432
SN - 2075-5309
VL - 13
JO - Buildings
JF - Buildings
IS - 9
M1 - 2143
ER -