Optimal design of multifamily dwelling development systems

The systems nature of housing development has been outlined and optimization models for single family plotted development has been presented elsewhere. In the present paper, a model for optimal design of multifamily flatted dwelling development, consisting of the dwelling as well as the layout, is developed. In this model, which is also a non-linear programming problem, maximizing the dwelling space has been taken as the objective function. Affordable housing cost and physical design/environmental standards such as semi-public open space have been taken as the constraints on the model. Using such a model, a multifamily dwelling development system could be designed directly to achieve the maximum benefit, i.e. maximum dwelling space, within the given affordable cost and fulfilling the given design standards. This is illustrated with some example problems.