A genetic algorithm for floorplan area optimization

The paper deals with the problem of floorplan area optimization; an approach based on genetic algorithms is proposed. The method produces optimal results with CPU time requirements comparable with the ones of other approaches but presents some advantages: it requires a limited amount of memory to store partial results, it is not sensible to special structures like nested wheels, it allows additional constraints to be easily taken into account, it allows the user to easily trade off CPU time with result accuracy, it is simple to implement. Experimental results on the biggest problems proposed in the literature are reported