Impact of morphological and functional features on hospitals’ energy consumption: A comparative analysis of six case studies

Due to their 24/7 operation and having to meet strict mandatory requirements for indoor air quality and sterility [1-3], hospitals are among the most energy-intensive facilities [4], thus significantly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions [5]. Even more alarming, however, is that while the steady evolution in healthcare delivery requires the continuous remodelling of the spaces in operative structures, involving both architectural-distributive aspects and building plant systems - and therefore underlining the need of forecasting the changing hospital energy needs - energy analyses are still rarely based on departmental level, thus hospital energy consumption by space type remains largely unexplained. The objective of the work is the development and experimental validation of a numerical model for the annual energy consumption assessment of six hospitals located in the province of Bologna (Italy), in relation to the morphological features of the buildings and the characteristics of the envelope, the different medical functions, the typology, operating conditions and hours of the plant systems, the comfort needs of patient and healthcare staff, etc. Aimed at addressing the weaknesses of the studies available in literature, the methodological framework represents the main aspect of the work. The model was based on the identification of the energy needs and consumptions from micro (single spaces) to macro scale (macro-area) and was then tested for each healthcare facility through the exclusive use of measurement data. The numerical model enables to forecast the energy consumption variations and, what is the most important, the saving potential related to the renovation or layout modification of existing healthcare facilities, this analysing the impact of architectural and functional features, together with energy goals. Besides functional and morphological evaluations about the six case studies examined, this paper outlines the preliminary results of the work and reports in a parametric form the findings regarding the distribution of the conditioned floor area and of the external surface in relation to the type of spaces.