MCDM In Practice: an architectural point of view

In recent years there has been an increased focus on environmental issues within the building industry. For one thing this is due to the increased tightening of the demands to buildings energy consumption in order to reduce the CO2 emissions. As an example of this focus on low-energy buildings one may mention the Passive House concept. With this enlarged focus on low-energy buildings it has become even more important to integrate the large number of parameters and to be aware of the correlation between these. When trying to optimize buildings at several levels at the same time; concerning aesthetics (proportions, materials visual, physical and sensuous qualities etc.) as well as indoor climate, energy consumption, construction, user needs and economic etc. this will result in several different – and often conflicting – design parameters. This has caused an extensive need for methods to help structure the complexity of the design process and hereby ensure that all parameters are included in the final project