Layout optimization of construction site facilities with dynamic freeform geometric representations

Traditional approaches to the construction site layout problem have been focused mainly on rectilinear and simple interpolated static geometrical shapes for modeling site facilities. Moreover, they have used proximity measures based on Cartesian distances between the centroids of the facilities. This is a fair abstraction of the problem; however it ignores the fact that many facilities on the construction sites assume non-rectilinear shapes that allow for better compaction within congested sites. The main focus of this research is to develop a new approach of modeling site facilities to overcome limitations and inefficiencies of previous models and to ensure a more realistic approach to construction site layout problems. A site layout optimization model was developed through a series of new algorithms for modeling regular and irregular freeform shapes of site facilities. The model mimics the “dynamic” behavior of the geometries of site facilities; where the geometrical shapes automatically modify their forms to fit in congested areas. Moreover, new proximity measures and distance measurement techniques were introduced. Furthermore, the research introduced the concept of selective zoning that significantly enhances optimization efficiency by minimizing the number of solutions through selection of pre-determined movement zones on site. At the end, a real site layout planning problem was solved using the developed model and the results were compared to two past models from the literature. The model has shown to be superior to the past models in optimizing congested and geometrically-complex site layouts.