Environmental, economical, technical and operational assessments of common types of separating wall systems in Iran using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

The techniques and types of materials used in construction sites are very important considering mechanical, environmental and economical issues. Separating different parts of a building from each other and protect the interior space from outside environment requires effective walls. In order to satisfy needs such as lowering cost, increasing speed and minimizing overall energy consumption of buildings, construction material industries produce and introduce different types of separating walls for buildings. This research was conducted to assess the environmental, economical, technical and operational impacts of different types of separating walls. Five different types of walls, including solid clay (SC) bricks, hollow clay (HC) blocks, autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks, three-dimensional (3D) sandwich panels and gypsum boards were investigated in this regard. The goal was to find the most effective type of separating wall among the choices investigated. Each of the fore mentioned criteria were divided into several sub-criteria, and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), as one of the best-known multi-criteria decision-making methods, was implemented in the assessments. Evaluations were based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria. Technical data and information were used for quantitative criteria and different types questionnaires were developed regarding the qualitative criteria. The results of this study, on the basis of all criteria, showed that the gypsum board with the relative priority value of 0.368, is the best choice between the assessed separating walls. The calculated relative priority values of AAC blocks, HC blocks, SC bricks, and 3D panels were 0.177, 0.152, 0.151 and 0.144 respectively.