Optimal selection of false ceiling systems in healthcare buildings: a multidimensional hierarchical analysis for sustainability

False ceilings are non-structural elements present in buildings of all types. They act as passive protection elements and give the rooms in which they are located significant technical capacities. For healthcare buildings, false ceiling systems require a higher level of qualification than in other buildings, with strict requirements for acoustic insulation, fireproof stability, resilience, and noise absorption. In addition, they require exhaustive analysis, design, and sizing processes to ensure a high degree of reliability. This fact complicates their optimal selection. In this study, a multidimensional comparative analysis was made of 14 false ceiling systems that predominate in Spain's healthcare infrastructure. An analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was applied according to five pre-defined variables (LCA, Unit price, Working time, Thermal conductivity, and Maintenance accessibility) based on the technical, environmental, economic, and temporal dimensions. Life cycle assessment was used to define and quantify the environmental variables’ characteristic impact parameters. The optimal solution was found to be the removable mineral fibre system, with a value of 0.82 AHP pt/m². This system has good technical properties and facilitates maintenance and cleaning tasks. In contrast, the continuous cement board false ceiling system was found to be the least favourable, with a score of 0.18 AHP pt/m². The knowledge gained from this study will favour optimal decision-making in sizing healthcare infrastructure by providing a detailed view of that infrastructure to those responsible for its engineering, thereby enhancing the socioeconomic and environmental benefits.