Multi-Objective Optimization for the Construction of Large-Scale Infrastructure Systems
Amr Kandil, Khaled El‐Rayes · 2005
This paper presents the development of an advanced Information Technology Framework for Optimizing Construction Utilization of Resources in Civil Infrastructure Systems, named IT-FOCUS. The main objectives of this framework are to: (1) develop robust optimization models for minimizing construction cost, and duration, while maximizing quality; and (2) formulate scalable methodologies for solving large-scale construction optimization problems. To this end, the present framework is implemented using an advanced multi-objective genetic algorithm that is capable of generating optimal trade-offs between construction cost, duration, and quality. To enable the optimization of large-scale infrastructure projects, the algorithm is parallelized using the manager-worker paradigm of parallel and distributed computing. The parallel implementation of the algorithm utilizes the message passing interface (MPI) standard to distribute genetic algorithm computations over a cluster of 50 Intel Xeon processors. A number of large-scale construction projects with sizes ranging from 180 to 720 activities were evaluated using the 50 processor cluster to evaluate the computational requirements for optimizing real-life construction projects. The results of this evaluation highlight the significant computational savings that can be achieved by the implemented parallel computing framework.