Double skin facade assessment by fuzzy AHP and comparison with AHP
ABSTRACT A double skin facade (DSF) has been widely used in recent years for its thermal and aesthetic properties. DSFs can also control wind pressure, manage natural ventilation and provide noise insulation. This study aims at providing an assessment of DSF to building designers and builders with their selection of facade systems. The decisions taken on the selection of facade systems are complicated ones based on multiple criteria. A decision must be taken only after many criteria are evaluated. While certain criteria such as heat insulation, noise insulation, and cost can be easily quantified, it is difficult to measure subjective criteria such as aesthetics. Therefore, the study aims at reflecting the experience of professionals who have applied such facade systems, to be able to evaluate all assessment criteria and facade systems. Architects or engineers working in the construction sector assessed criteria and DSF alternatives by replying to a questionnaire. Fuzzy set theory aids in measuring the ambiguity of concepts that are associated with human being's subjective judgment. Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) has been applied to many assessment problems. It is used for the assessment of DSF in this study. AHP was used for the assessment of DSF in our previous study. The results of our previous study are also compared with the results of this study and findings are presented.