Integrated material and structural design approach

We attempt to intelligently combine existing and next generation building materials for the design of structural forms that could reduce the energy consumption of the building during both construction and operation phases. Here, we take a holistic approach to consider the combined effects of existing materials, next generation materials, and new architectural/structural forms to economically improve building energy efficiency in the tropics. Attention is given to multi-criteria decision making framework that not only can be used in this thrust but also can be transported to the cyber-physical testbed thrust, i.e. Thrust 6. The multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is considered as an essential tool to select the best solution amongst various alternatives. MCDA is used in order to integrate all the components, stakeholders and standpoints of a project for its whole lifecycle. The cornerstone of MCDA is to quantify the value of each alternative and to achieve relative comparisons. The Performance–based engineering (PBE) approach, which is becoming a commonly used probabilistic approach in structural engineering, provides a deeper understanding of the value of each alternative. Developments in the other three work packages in Thrust 5, namely WP 5.2, WP 5.3, and WP 5.4, discussed below, will be integrated in the WP 5.1 work packages using the PBE-MCDM framework.