Performance-based Multicriteria Material Selection

The selection of materials and construction technologies in the field of architecture is a complex process which is influenced by numerous factors.

The wide possibility of choice between construction technologies, also due to the continuous innovation in the field of materials science, and the many criteria to consider, sometimes contradictory, interferes in the identification of the target solution that is best adapted to any specific project.

The aim of this study is to contribute to a more informed and integrated selection of building solutions for facades and to create a valuable support for professionals in choosing the building system that best meets the needs of the project.

Using complex and consolidated methodologies of multicriteria decision support tools, façade walls are evaluated according to different design scenarios related to the climate and to the functional building program. This evaluation is based on criteria of environmental impact and functional performance. The environmental impact is addressed through the embodied energy, carbon and water in materials. The functional performance considers energy efficiency and acoustic comfort.