The Use of MIVES as a Sustainability Assessment MCDM Method for Architecture and Civil Engineering Applications

Abstract

Environmental and sustainability assessment tools have an important role in moving towards a better world, bringing knowledge and raising awareness. In the architecture and civil engineering sector, these assessment tools help in moving forward to constructions that have less economic, environmental and social impacts. At present, there are numerous assessment tools and methods with different approaches and scopes that have been analyzed in numerous technical reviews. However, there is no agreement about which method should be used for each evaluation case. This research paper synthetically analyzes the main sustainability assessment methods for the construction sector, comparing their strengths and weaknesses in order to present the challenges of the Spanish Integrated Value Model for Sustainability Assessment (MIVES). MIVES is a Multi-Criteria Decision Making method based on the value function concept and the Seminars of experts. Then, this article analyzes MIVES advantages and weak points by going through its methodology and two representative applications. At the end, the area of application of MIVES is described in detail along with the general application cases of the main types of assessment tools and methods.

Quick Green Scan: A Methodology for Improving Green Performance in Terms of Manufacturing Processes

“…Analysis can be made using various approaches and tools to assess sustainability and environmental aspects within the manufacturing processes. Numerous tools which differ in their scope and approach focus on measuring disaggregated indicators in detail [33]. Fan et al shortlisted a number of indicators used for sustainability manufacturing measurement and attempted to evaluate those based on the criteria of relevance [34], while Feng and Joung stressed the need to introduce the necessary tools and had the objective of determining the value of an indicator for a sequence of process units [35].…”

“…Fan et al shortlisted a number of indicators used for sustainability manufacturing measurement and attempted to evaluate those based on the criteria of relevance [34], while Feng and Joung stressed the need to introduce the necessary tools and had the objective of determining the value of an indicator for a sequence of process units [35]. Tools are often based on an interdisciplinary approach to define how specific technologies might impact economic, environmental and social issues [33].…”

“…It is a dynamic index used widely in German banks and applied in Poland [69]. Additionally, the DGC indicator employs the Net Present Value (NPV) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) expressed as all costs associated with the life cycle of boilers manufacturing [33]. Based on the data available in Tables 7 and 8, DGC may be calculated using (4):…”

Sustainability in Construction Engineering

“…The application of hybrid methods for engineering was analyzed in 2016 [12] and, in the next review paper, applications of HMCDM methods for sustainability problems, were overviewed [13]. In addition, several review papers devoted to MCDM or HMCDM applications for sustainable development problems are worth mentioning: Making sustainable decisions in architectural and engineering design [14,15]; sustainable supply chains [16]; green technologies; green building; sustainable design; and energy related problems [17][18][19]. A great amount of attention is devoted to risk assessment, or dealing with other uncertainties in construction engineering, by applying mathematical models and methods [20].…”

A combination of the Knapsack algorithm and MIVES for choosing optimal temporary housing site locations: A case study in Tehran

“…MIVES is a multi-criteria decision-making method (MCDM) that considers a value function based on utility theory. MIVES offers three key advantages compared to other MCDMs for TH management: (1) it is time-independent;(2) it can be applied to diverse areas with different local characteristics and requirements; and (3) it can be made to take all stakeholders' satisfaction levels and needs into account through simple adjustments to the requirements tree's items and their weights [23].…”