Abstract
The main objective for architects is to improve building quality for occupants. For user comfort and physical performance, primarily parameters of building elements such as sound insulation, thermal insulation, resistance to fire and moisture are evaluated. However, especially on walls, applications made to enhance these parameters such as designing a double wall, can be in contradiction with some other parameters such as cost, weight and thickness which are desired to be minimized. This reveals the problem of decision-making in the selection of building elements for architects. This study aims to find the optimum internal wall that complies with the Acoustic Regulation of Turkey and maximizes the airborne sound insulation performance while minimizing other parameters (cost, weight, thickness). In this research, starting from the simplest single wall type, number 509 of non-load bearing masonry interior wall alternatives made of brick and autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks were generated. Values of the sound insulation, cost, weight and thickness parameters of the walls were calculated, and then optimal alternatives were selected by one of the most used MCDM (Multi-Criteria Decision Making) method namely as TOPSIS (The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method. Moreover, Copeland technique was used to aggregate the data obtained for different similar weighting values in the application of the TOPSIS Method. As a result, it was demonstrated that the combined method used in the study is a convenient method for decision making and yields satisfactory results.
Bilge Şan Özbilen