Dynamic site layout planning through minimization of total potential energy

Dynamic site layout planning is the task of determining the overall optimum location of objects such as temporary facilities, storage areas, and workshops on the construction site. This paper presents an innovative dynamic model that is able to generate layouts that are optimized over the duration of the project. The model applies energy principles governing a physical system to search for the optimum location of objects. In this model, objects with more impact on the layout are able to obtain and reserve their optimum locations even if they arrive to the construction site in later stages. The model allocates space to objects only for the duration they are required on the site, and accordingly, it enables a realistic representation of space availability on the site and allows the reuse of space over the time. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the capability of the developed model. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.