Building energy consumption reduction driven by the accessibility to greenspace ecological effect

•Modeling the accessibility to greenspace ecological effect to reduce BECCE.•Using source–sink landscape theory to regard greenspace patches and buildings.•Combining the source, sink, and flow in an improved potential model.•Finding a significant negative correlation between the accessibility and BECCE.•Supporting the use of nature-based solutions to realize carbon neutrality. Rapid urbanization leads to a discrepancy between building operational energy consumption carbon emissions (BECCE) and urban sustainable development. Urban greenspace, which modifies local microclimates and thus BECCE, plays a critical part in reducing BECCE. To improve our scientific understanding and further explore the ecological effect of urban greenspace landscape pattern on BECCE, this study proposed an innovative method for modeling the accessibility to greenspace ecological effect to reduce BECCE. Accessibility was calculated using source–sink landscape theory as the theoretical basis and an improved potential model as the numerical basis. The normalized compactness index was adopted to measure the overall resistance to the ecological process and consider compact urban morphology. A case study of 67 office buildings in China demonstrated the applicability and implications of the model. The study found that i) total area and landscape shape index of greenspace, which represent source accessibility, are both significantly negatively correlated with BECCE; ii) landscape shape index of greenspace, which represents source accessibility and reflects greenspace landscape complexity, figures prominently in building carbon reductions and improves model predictions. The newly developed model can be used to identify optimal arrangements of urban green infrastructure to reduce BECCE under current conditions of intense urban land use, make projections of carbon emissions, and support decision makers in implementing nature-based solutions to achieve carbon emission peak and carbon neutrality goals.