Decision support system for tower crane location and material supply point in construction sites using an integer linear programming model
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
ISSN: 0969-9988
Article publication date: 8 March 2022
Issue publication date: 8 May 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The site layout has a significant impact on the efficiency of construction operations. Planning an effective site layout partly involves identifying and positioning temporary facilities such as tower cranes and areas on the jobsite for materials storage. This study proposes an approach to optimizing the type and location of the tower crane and material supply point on construction sites.
Design/methodology/approach
The problem is formulated into an integer linear programming (ILP) model considering the total cost of material transportation as the objective function and site conditions as constraints. The efficacy of the approach is demonstrated by finding the optimum site layout for a numerical example. The proposed model is validated and verified using two methods.
Findings
Results indicate that the proposed model successfully identifies the type and location of the tower crane and the location of material supply point, leading to approximately 20% cost reduction compared with when such features of a site layout are decided solely based on experience and educated guesses of the construction manager.
Originality/value
The primary contribution of this study is to present a modified linear mathematical model for site layout optimization that exhibits improved performance compared with previous models. The type and location of the tower crane and the material supply point as decision variables are extracted directly from solving the proposed model. The proposed model will help enhance time and cost efficiency on construction sites.
Keywords
Citation
Amiri, R., Majrouhi Sardroud, J. and Momenaei Kermani, V. (2023), "Decision support system for tower crane location and material supply point in construction sites using an integer linear programming model", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 30 No. 4, pp. 1444-1462. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-06-2021-0517
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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