The increase in global population, which negatively affects energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and arable land, necessitates designing sustainable habitation alternatives. Self-sufficient high-rise buildings, which integrate (electricity) generation and efficient usage of resources with dense habitation, can be a sustainable solution for future urbanisation. This paper focuses on transforming Europoint Towers in Rotterdam into self-sufficient buildings considering energy consumption and food production (lettuce crops) using artificial intelligence. Design parameters consist of the number of farming floors, shape, and the properties of the proposed façade skin that includes shading devices. Nine thousand samples are collected from various floor levels to predict self-sufficiency criteria using artificial neural networks (ANN). Optimisation problems with 117 decision variables are formulated using 45 ANN models that have very high prediction accuracies. 13 optimisation algorithms are used for an in-detail investigation of self-sufficiency at the building scale, and potential sufficiency at the neighbourhood scale. Results indicate that 100% and 43.7% self-sufficiencies could be reached for lettuce crops and electricity, respectively, for three buildings with 1800 residents. At the neighbourhood scale, lettuce production could be sufficient for 27,000 people with a decrease of self-sufficiency in terms of energy use of up to 11.6%. Consequently, this paper discusses the potentials and the improvements for self-sufficient high-rise buildings. @en

Hospital facilities are known as functionally complex buildings. There are usually configurational problems that lead to inefficient transportation processes for patients, medical staff, and/or logistics of materials. The Quadratic Assignment Problem (QAP) is a well-known problem in the field of Operations Research from the category of the facility's location/allocation problems. However, it has rarely been utilized in architectural design practice. This paper presents a formulation of such logistics issues as a QAP for space planning processes aimed at renovation of existing hospitals, a heuristic QAP solver developed in a CAD environment, and its implementation as a computational design tool designed to be used by architects. The tool is implemented in C# for Grasshopper (GH), a plugin of Rhinoceros CAD software. This tool minimizes the internal transportation processes between interrelated facilities where each facility is assigned to a location in an existing building. In our model, the problem of assignment is relaxed in that a single facility may be allowed to be allocated within multiple voxel locations, thus alleviating the complexity of the unequal area assignment problem. The QAP formulation takes into account both the flows between facilities and distances between locations. The distance matrix is obtained from the spatial network of the building by using graph traversal techniques. The developed tool also calculates spatial geodesic distances (walkable, easiest, and/or shortest paths for pedestrians) inside the building. The QAP is solved by a heuristic optimization algorithm, called Iterated Local Search. Using one exemplary real test case, we demonstrate the potential of this method in the context of hospital layout design/re-design tasks in 3D. Finally, we discuss the results and possible further developments concerning a generic computational space planning framework.@en

This paper introduces a Discrete-Event Simulation (DES) tool developed as a parametric CAD program for validating a program of requirements (PoR) for hospital space planning. The DES model simulates the procedures of processing of patients treated by doctors, calculating patient throughput and patient waiting times, based on the number of doctors, patient arrivals, and treatment times. In addition, the tool is capable of defining space requirements by taking hospital design standards into account. Using this tool, what-if scenarios and assumptions on the PoR about space planning can be tested and/or validated. The tool is ultimately meant for reducing patient waiting times and/or increasing patient throughput by checking the match of the layout of a hospital with respect to its procedural operations. This tool is envisaged to grow into a toolkit providing a methodological framework for bringing Operations Research into Architectural Space Planning. The tool is implemented in Python for Grasshopper (GH), a plugin of Rhinoceros CAD software using the SimPy library.@en

Architectural design is a process that considers many objectives to satisfy. In general, these objectives are conflicting with each other. On the other hand, many design parameters are associated with these conflicting objectives, too. Therefore, architectural design is described as a complex task. To handle the complexity, computational optimization methods can be employed to investigate architectural design process in detail. This paper focuses on investigating Pareto-front solutions for theatre hall design using multi-objective evolutionary algorithms. To formulate the theatre hall acoustic design problem, we consider three objectives. Two objectives are minimization of both reverberation time, and total initial cost whereas the third objective is the maximization of seating capacity. In addition, several designs and acoustical performance constraints are defined. To tackle this problem, a multi-objective self-adaptive differential evolution algorithm (JDEMO) is proposed and compared with a well-known non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) from the literature. Computational results show that the proposed JDEMO algorithm achieves competitive results when compared to the NSGA-II.@en

Floating neighborhoods are innovative and promising urban areas for challenges in the development of cities and settlements. However, this design task requires a lot of considerations and technical challenges. Computational tools and methods can be beneficial to tackle the complexity of floating neighborhood design. This paper considers the design of a self-sufficient floating neighborhood by using computational intelligence techniques. In this respect, we consider a design problem for locating each neighborhood function in each cluster with a certain density within a floating neighborhood. In order to develop a self-sufficient floating neighborhood, we propose multi-objective evolutionary algorithms, namely, a self-adaptive real-coded genetic algorithm (CGA) as well as a self-adaptive real-coded genetic algorithm (CGA_DE) employing mutation operator of differential evolution algorithm. The only difference between CGA and CGA_DE is the fact that CGA uses random immigration of certain individuals into the population as a mutation operator whereas in the mutation phase of CGA_DE algorithm, the traditional mutation operator DE/rand/1/bin of DE algorithms. The arrangement of individual functions to develop each neighborhood function is further elaborated and formed by using Voronoi diagram algorithm. An application to design a self-sufficient floating neighborhood in Urla district, which is on the west coast of Turkey, İzmir, is presented.@en

This paper discusses a set of façade design alternatives for form-finding problem focusing on conceptual phase. In this respect, the aim of the research is to propose a multi-objective optimization approach for a façade design of public pool building. We present a set of solution belonging to Self-adaptive Multi-objective Ensemble Differential Evolution (JE_DEMO) and Self-adaptive Multi-Objective Differential Evolution (JDEMO) algorithm. We focus on maximization of daylight performance and minimization of structural displacement. Based on results, two algorithms presented competitive results. Contributions are presented based on objectives functions as new trade-offs and proposed JE_DEMO algorithm for design problems.@en

The aim of the research is to find a feasible set of theatre hall design alternatives for two objectives, which are the total cost and the reverberation time, subject to several constraints. We formulate the problem as a multi-objective realparameter constrained optimization problem. To handle this problem, we investigated two different optimization algorithms, namely, a Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) and a multi-objective Harmony Search algorithm (MOHS) in order to gather Pareto front approximation with a set of non-dominated solutions. We demonstrate that the MOHS yields slightly better results than the NSGA-II algorithm.

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This paper is concerned with the application of computational intelligence techniques to the conceptual design and development of a large-scale floating settlement. The settlement in question is a design for the area of Urla, which is a rural touristic region located on the west coast of Turkey, near the metropolis of Izmir. The problem at hand includes both engineering and architectural aspects that need to be addressed in a comprehensive manner. We thus adapt the view as a multi-objective constrained real-parameter optimization problem. Specifically, we consider three objectives, which are conflicting. The first one aims at maximizing accessibility of urban functions such as housing and public spaces, as well as special functions, such as a marina for yachts and a yacht club. The second one aims at ensuring the wind protection of the general areas of the settlement, by adequately placing them in between neighboring land masses. The third one aims at maximizing visibility of the settlement from external observation points, so as to maximize the exposure of the settlement. To address this complex multi-objective optimization problem and identify lucrative alternative design solutions, a multi-objective harmony search algorithm (MOHS) is developed and applied in this paper. When compared to the Differential Evolution algorithm developed for the problem in the literature, we demonstrate that MOHS achieves competitive or slightly better performance in terms of hyper volume calculation, and gives promising results when the Pareto front approximation is examined.@en

This paper presents the results obtained by NSGA-II and jDEMO on a restaurant design optimization in the conceptual phase. A multi-objective problem is formulated by considering the minimization of investment and the maximization of customer count and maximization of visual perception, subject to several constraints. The main problem requires the configuration of restaurant spaces with different seating groups, decisions regarding the customer capacity, fraction and position of the windows. The contributions of the paper can be summarized as follows. We show that most architectural design problems are basically real-parameter multi-objective constrained optimization problems. So, any type of evolutionary and swarm optimization methods can be used in this field. A multi-objective self-adaptive differential evolution algorithm (jDEMO), inspired from the DEMO algorithm from the literature with some modifications, is developed and compared to the well-known fast and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm so called NSGA-II in order to solve this complex problem and identify alternative design solutions to decision makers. Through the experimental results, we show that the proposed algorithm is competitive with the NSGA-II algorithm.

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This paper is concerned with the application of computational intelligence techniques to the conceptual design and development of a large-scale floating settlement. The settlement in question is a design for the area of Urla, which is a rural touristic region located on the west coast of Turkey, near the metropolis of Izmir. The problem at hand includes both engineering and architectural aspects that need to be addressed in a comprehensive manner. We thus adapt the view as a multi-objective constrained real-parameter optimization problem. Specifically, we consider three objectives, which are conflicting. The first one aims at maximizing accessibility of urban functions such as housing and public spaces, as well as special functions, such as a marina for yachts and a yacht club. The second one aims at ensuring the wind protection of the general areas of the settlement, by adequately placing them in between neighboring land masses. The third one aims at maximizing visibility of the settlement from external observation points, so as to maximize the exposure of the settlement. To address this complex multi-objective optimization problem and identify lucrative alternative design solutions, a multi-objective harmony search algorithm (MOHS) is developed and applied in this paper. When compared to the Differential Evolution algorithm developed for the problem in the literature, we demonstrate that MOHS achieves competitive or slightly better performance in terms of hyper volume calculation, and gives promising results when the Pareto front approximation is examined.@en

This paper presents a multi-objective self-adaptive differential evolution algorithm to solve the form-finding problem of high-rise building design in the conceptual phase. The aim of the research is to reach suitable high-rise design alternatives for hard and soft objectives, which are construction cost per square meter, structural displacement, and visual perception of the spaces from the inside out subject to several constraints that are related with both high-rise construction regulations, and profitability of the spaces. We formulate the problem as a multi-objective realparameter constrained optimization problem for three objectives that are inherently conflicting. To tackle this problem, we developed two different optimization algorithms, namely, a Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) and a Self-Adaptive Differential Evolution Algorithm (jDE) in order to obtain Pareto fronts with diversified non-dominated solutions. The extensive computational results show that the jDE algorithm yields much more desirable Pareto front than the NSGA-II algorithm.

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