A multi-objective mixed integer nonlinear programming model for construction site layout planning to minimise noise pollution and transport costs

The achievement of a sustainable industry in the construction sector requires the consideration of environmental and social impacts of the operations involved, along with the traditionally imperative economic factors affecting the construction project. An implicit social and environmental factor commonly linked with construction is the noise pollution resulting from activities taking placing during the various construction stages. The levels of sound recorded at receivers positioned in the vicinity of the construction site may be considerably affected by the site layout adopted. Site layout planning with the objective of minimising the construction noise levels has not been investigated in the available literature. To ensure a balance between economic, social and environmental impacts, the planning of the site should also account for the economic factors associated with the monetary costs of material transportation between facilities, rendering the problem a multi-objective one. This paper presents a novel multi-objective mixed integer nonlinear programming model that minimises noise levels at multiple receivers surrounding the construction site, as well as on-land material transportation costs, through site layout optimisation. An improved transportation cost model accounting for several transportation modes is presented. A Pareto front, listing nondominated global optimum solutions, is obtained for a case study tested using the e-constraint method.