Digital Technologies for Sustainability-Oriented Decision-Making: Integrating BIM and Computational Programming for Building Envelope Selection

Abstract

The growing environmental impact of the construction sector is driving a shift toward sustainable design practices, in which digital technologies are integrated to enable designers to make informed decisions from the early design stages. In this study, a DSS is developed that combines BIM, VPL and TPL to identify the optimal wall stratigraphy for the building envelope. The process is structured into sequential phases, in which Autodesk Revit v2026.06.24.01, Dynamo v.3.6.1 and Python v3.9 are integrated within an end-to-end workflow. In the first phase, wall stratigraphies are modelled in BIM, and parametric variations in layers are allowed alongside customisation of the material database. In the second phase, an automated workflow calculates a set of indicators covering thermal performance, environmental assessments (LCA, MRc2 LEED and mandatory national requirements), and economic evaluations (LCC). In the third phase, indicators are imported into an automated Dynamo-based MCDM, where a hybrid AHP/PROMETHEE analysis is applied and results are directly integrated into BIM, thereby supporting sustainability-focused decisions. The tool is validated on different sustainable wall stratigraphies in warm-climate contexts. The hybrid solution is ranked first, followed by rammed earth, while platform frame and X-LAM are ranked lower.