Development of a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making framework (AHP-TOPSIS) for evaluating and selecting optimal restoration solutions (digital and physical)

Abstract

Sustainable development and energy efficiency improvement in the building sector require complex and multifaceted decision-making in the renovation process. Aiming to overcome the challenges of evaluating multiple renovation options that include both physical changes (such as insulation and mechanical systems) and the integration of digital solutions (such as smart energy management systems), this research develops a novel hybrid framework based on multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. The framework combines the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to extract and accurately weight the evaluation criteria – considering economic, technical, environmental and occupant comfort dimensions – and the TOPSIS method to finally rank the solutions. AHP ensures that the weights of the criteria reflect the real preferences of the stakeholders, while TOPSIS makes the selection process transparent and repeatable by identifying the optimal solution close to the ideal solution. The application of this model to a residential renovation example demonstrates its effectiveness in selecting the most optimal combination package to increase building performance and resource efficiency.