Optimization Methods for Department Layout of Medical Building Aimed at Enhancing Postearthquake Medical Functionality

Scientific and rational layouts of medical departments are crucial for the efficient and stable operation of hospitals. Existing optimization methods primarily focus on planar layouts and often neglect vertical optimization to enhance postearthquake medical functionality (PEMF). This study proposes a method to optimize the vertical layout of medical departments with the aim of minimizing the PEMF‐failure probability. This method calculates the PEMF of medical buildings using a multilevel assessment method to consider the component–department–floor interdependencies (CDFIs). The optimization problem is transformed into a matrix generation task by integrating architectural functional constraints specific to medical‐department layouts. A genetic algorithm is then employed to efficiently determine the optimal layout. Through a case study of an outpatient building, the method yielded the optimal department layout scheme within 7 s, reducing PEMF‐failure probability from 54.88% to 29.73%. This study offers a valuable approach for the design and multiobjective optimization of medical buildings.