Spacecraft for Multi-Floor Layout Planning

A descriptive problem definition and a tested computerized heuristic solution procedure are offered for the problem of relative location of facilities in (or layout of) a multi-floor building. The problem definition and solution procedure overcome the problem of severe nonlinearity of inter-department movement times relative to distance, which enter the multi-floor problem because of the indirectness of routing, and because of different movement speeds compared with the single floor case. Both the definition and solution procedure are application-oriented, concentrating on practical aspects of multi-floor space allocation. Substantial savings in an implementation are reported. The procedure is particularly relevant to planning for an organization moving into a new multi-floor building. Additionally, the procedure can be used, without modification, for an organization spread over more than one building, and for single floor facilities. The possibility of alternative inter-floor routings is incorporated.