Selection of the Variant of the Aluminium-Glass Facade Implementation Using the AHP Method

Abstract

The image of the whole building is primarily its shape, external casing and materials used. The investor has to make a decision already at the moment of preparing the design concept, in which technology and materials the office building or service and commercial object is to be made. Heavy concrete construction has disappeared over the years. Investors decide to use lightweight materials, such as aluminium and glass, to give buildings a light form and to avoid disturbing the architecture of the surrounding urban planning. The multitude of aluminium and glass facade systems offered by the manufacturers makes the investor face a difficult choice of such a system that will meet his or her expectations. The aim of the paper is to describe and evaluate the aluminium and glass facade systems offered by the manufacturers. The analysis was performed for three variants: mullion and transom system, semi-structural system and structural system. A model supporting the decision to choose an appropriate variant based on the identified criteria and multi-criteria Analytic Hierarchy Process method (AHP) was proposed.