Aligning the Facades of Urban Buildings with Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations Sustainable Development Document outlines a comprehensive framework and encourages countries to take practical steps towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This study assesses adherence to sustainable development criteria by analyzing building materials used in urban façades. Previous research has used different criteria for selecting and evaluating sustainable materials, highlighting inconsistencies in material selection for comparative analyses and decision-making processes. This study aims to advance the field by identifying the most relevant criteria and options for sustainable development while introducing a new and practical approach not previously discussed in the literature. It emphasizes criteria most consistent with the fundamental principles of sustainable development – environmental protection, social equity, and economic sustainability. The selected criteria were prioritized based on a survey of civil engineers, and professional perspectives were considered. Subsequently, the materials used in the façade were ranked using multi-criteria decision-making techniques, specifically the Weighted Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) method. This method combines the advantages of the Weighted Sum Model (WSM) and the Weighted Product Model (WPM) and provides a complete evaluation of weighted criteria for objective rankings. The WASPAS method is well-suited to the objectives of this study due to its practicality and the lack of specialized software. The results of pairwise comparisons showed that three criteria are critical in the evaluation: acoustic comfort (26%), thermal comfort (22%), and implementation cost (20%). These results indicate the importance of choosing building materials with lower molecular density, as this significantly reduces the transmission coefficient, which is a crucial factor in increasing comfort and energy efficiency in urban buildings. As a result, the materials were ranked as follows: Wood, Brick, Double-Glazed Glass, Cement Boards, Stone, and Aluminum. This ranking represents a move away from conventional choices commonly seen in urban façades towards more sustainable alternatives. By providing a solid framework based on the WASPAS methodology, this study provides valuable insights for project managers, architects, and engineers, promoting sustainable construction practices through careful material selection and emphasizing the importance of the assessed criteria. Ultimately, it contributes to the development of a more sustainable urban environment and contributes to the global mission for responsible and environmentally friendly construction practices.