Suggestions for temporary construction facilities' layout problems in large-scale construction projects

Temporary construction facilities' layout problems (TCFLPs) are crucial in large-scale construction projects. Well-designed TCFLPs can improve overall effectiveness and facilitate an efficient construction process. This technical note presents an innovative trilogy for positioning appropriate temporary construction facilities (TCFs) in ideal locations based on a qualitative-quantitative-qualitative methodology. In contrast to previous research, the trilogy integrates existing techniques with some qualitative analysis to facilitate operations so that the operability of TCFLPs in practical situations is improved. First, a qualitative-based analysis index is proposed to determine basic properties for the predetermined project. Following this, optimization models are established to obtain satisfactory solutions based on practical requirements and constraints in a quantitative way. Finally, an evaluation index is built to evaluate and adjust some of the TCFs obtained from the previous procedure to better meet the practical demands. The complete process is illustrated using a realistic layout problem from the Jinping-I hydropower station project in China, and the results show that the proposed combined methods can be applied to real-world TCFLPs.