Work

Development and implementation of post-earthquake medical functionality assessment method for hospital campus considering buildings interdependencies in BIM

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Hospitals are complex systems composed of multiple interconnected buildings, making post-earthquake functionality (PEF) assessment critical for emergency response. Most existing studies focus on single buildings, overlooking challenges at the campus level, including: managing diverse and interdependent data without a unified platform, capturing interdependencies among buildings and departments, and addressing cascading functional losses caused by damage to departments or components. To overcome these limitations, this study proposes a Building Information Modeling (BIM)-based method that explicitly considers hospital-wide interdependencies to enable automated and refined PEF assessment. The framework comprises: (1) a BIM modeling approach integrating component information, patient flows, and seismic data; (2) a discrete event simulation (DES) method for inter-building functional interactions; and (3) a BIM-based PEF assessment approach considering component–department–building dependencies. A case study demonstrates that the method enables integrated data handling, quantifies PEF across buildings, and effectively evaluates cascading impacts, thereby supporting hospital emergency response and resilient hospital design.

Source: Advanced Engineering Informatics

DOI: 10.1016/j.aei.2026.104619

Authors: Qingle Cheng, Linlin Xie, Zixuan Liu, Zhen Xu

Institutions: Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Science and Technology Beijing

Language: English

Topic: Infrastructure Resilience and Vulnerability Analysis

Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Good health and well-being, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,560