The integration of renewable energy technologies into urban buildings is a key strategy in sustainable city development. This study explores the application of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems in a selected building at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU), aiming to identify the most balanced solution among energy efficiency, architectural quality, and operational feasibility. Using a Building Information Model (BIM) of the existing structure, five alternative design scenarios were developed by varying the number and capacity of façade-mounted photovoltaic (PV) panels and semi-transparent PV windows. Each scenario was evaluated against six criteria: (1) potential solar energy yield, (2) temporal correlation between energy generation and building consumption, (3) maintenance accessibility and associated cost, (4) architectural aesthetics, (5) installation cost, and (6) cost effectiveness. To ensure a rigorous and interdisciplinary evaluation, the Delphi-based ELECTRE Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) method was applied. Expert panels representing disciplines of construction engineering, architecture, electrical engineering, and business management participated in determining the relative importance of each criterion. The results demonstrate the potential of combining BIM-based energy simulation with expert-driven decision analysis to optimize BIPV integration strategies in complex urban environments. The proposed framework offers a replicable methodology for guiding sustainable façade design and supporting the adoption of renewable energy in various public and administrative buildings across cities.
Zagorskas et al. (Mon,) studied this question.