Conjoining MMAS to GA to solve construction site layout planning problem

An optimal construction site layout planning (CSLP) is vital for project management. It can reduce the transportation flows and thus the costs of a project. Genetic algorithm (GA) is the most used algorithm to solve site layout problems, but randomly generated initial population in GA will decrease solution quality. Max-min ant system (MMAS) can offer a better initial population than the randomly generated initial population at the beginning of GA. In this study, a modified GA (MMAS-GA) formed by conjoining MMAS to the step of initialization of GA is proposed to solve CSLP problems. In order to reveal the computational capability of MMAS-GA to solve CSLP problems, the results of MMAS-GA and traditional GA are compared by solving an equal-area CSLP problem. The results showed that the proposed MMAS-GA algorithm provided a better optimal solution under the objective function of minimizing the transportation flows between the site facilities. The proposed MMAS-GA algorithm could assist project managers and planners to design optimal construction site layout, and thus to reduce construction costs.