Journal of Engineering Management and Competitiveness (Jan 2024)

Construction site layout planning considering travelling distance cost and safety relationships using a genetic algorithm technique

  • Abdelalim Ahmed Mohammed,
  • Kenawy Ahmed Mohamed,
  • Aman Khaled

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5937/JEMC2401003A
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 1
pp. 3 – 20

Abstract

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Efficient planning for construction site layout is pivotal for the successful execution of a project, contributing to enhanced productivity and safety on the site. This involves identifying temporary structures or facilities required to support construction activities, choosing their size and arrangement, and strategic placing within the available space on the site. The problem of site layout planning is a challenging issue in combinatorial optimization, especially as it involves multiple objectives. Its complexity escalates with the increasing number of facilities and constraints. While existing research has proposed various analytical, heuristic, and meta-heuristic approaches to address this problem, many prior studies focused on a limited number of facilities, emphasizing the minimization of travelling distances while neglecting other pertinent cost-related and decision-making factors. This study aims to create practical and effective solutions for site layout by employing a realistic representation that takes into account not just travelling distance but also considers cost and safety relationships. A model for optimization with two objective functions has been developed to minimize travelling distance between facilities in order to minimize cost functions derived from various factors such as construction costs associated with different facility locations and transportation costs between locations, as well as to minimize risks based on the quantitative flow matrix and distance between facilities, as increasing in the frequency of interaction flow between facilities results in a higher probability of collision. In this research, a genetic algorithm (GA) is used as a heuristic optimization approach. A case study was applied to the model to highlight the benefits of the suggested approach, illustrating its effectiveness and comprehensive solutions for construction site layout planning.

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