Ant colony optimization (ACO) in scheduling overlapping architectural design activities

Abstract

The increasing complexity of architectural design works refers to the need for high quality design solu­tions for overlapping activities through a shorter time period. Conventional network analysis techniques such as CPM could only represent sequential processes yet it is unable to handle a process which contains iterations so that it leads to the occurrence of unwanted omission of logic or information links between design activities. Ant Colony Optimiza­tion emerged as an efficient metaheuristic technique for solving computational problems in finding good paths through graphs. This research aims to develop an ACO based Design Activity Scheduling model (ACO-DAS) for the scheduling of overlapping architectural design activities and to test the workability of ACO-DAS through a hypothetical run. From the computational results of both CPM and ACO methods, the determination of critical path using ACO-DAS model resulted in a design duration at 50 while that for CPM was as long as 78. The durations of architectural design activi­ties have been significantly shortened by ACO-DAS. ACO-DAS results in shorter design completion time thus it deems more advanced than CPM.

Keyword : ant colony optimization, design activity scheduling, CPM, overlapping architectural design activities, metaheuristic technique