The method is divided in five main parts, i.e., (i) evaluation of the indoor comfort conditions in the building the adaptive comfort method; (ii) evaluation of the energy demand using LCA; (iii) evaluation of the carbon dioxide emissions using LCA; (iv) evaluation of the design strategies through the LCCA; (v) decision making process through the MCDM.   In this method, only the design strategies are analysed through the LCA and LCCA. Other materials that make up the building are not evaluated. The recycling phase in LCA and LCCA was not considered. In order to analyse the operational energy consumption and the indoor comfort conditions of the building the EnergyPlus computer programme was used.
                    Comfort hours
                                      The first parameter evaluate is the indoor comfort hours in the building. Through the adaptive comfort method [23] it was possible to determine the number of hours in which there is internal thermal comfort in the building throughout the year with and with no design solutions. The EnergyPlus computer programme, version 8.4, was used. This analysis consists in verifying if the use of design strategies allows for an improvement in the internal thermal comfort. Eq. (1) shows how to estimate the upper limit.
(1)                                                            Ulim= 0,31 x tpma + 21.3
where Ulim is the upper limit of the comfort zone (°C), tpma is the mean outdoor air temperature (°C).
Eq. (2) shows how to estimate the lower limit.
(2)                                                            Llim= 0,31 x tpma + 14.3
where Llim is the lower limit of the comfort zone (°C), tpma is the mean outdoor air temperature (°C).
Through the limits of the comfort zone is possible to define if the design strategies improved the thermal comfort conditions of the building. Eq. (3) demonstrates how to obtain the number of hours in which there is internal thermal comfort through the use of the design strategy.
(3)                                                                   Hcomfort = Ha  - Hb     
where Hcomfort is the increment in the number of hours in which there is internal thermal comfort over one year when a design strategy is used (h), Ha is the number of hours in which there is internal thermal comfort over one year with the use of a design strategy (h), Hb is the number of hours in which there is internal thermal comfort over one year without the use of a design strategy (h).
                    Primary Energy Demand 
                    The primary energy demand was analysed through the LCA. Thanks to this analysis, it was possible to identify the energy balance, i.e., the energy saved over the building life cycle through the use of the design strategies (Eq. (4)).   
(4)                                                       LCEb= OEs - (EE+ME+DE) + ELR
where LCEb is the life cycle energy balance (kWh); OEs is the operational energy saved due to the use of the design strategy (kWh); EE is the embodied energy in the design strategy (kWh); ME is the maintenance energy due to the design strategy (kWh); DE is the demolition energy in the design strategy (kWh); ELR is the energy life-cycle of the component in the base case that will be replaced by a design strategy.