Optimization Models for Reducing Off-Cuts of Raw Materials in Construction Site

Haoqing Wang and Wen Yi ()
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Haoqing Wang: Faculty of Business, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Wen Yi: Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China

Mathematics, 2022, vol. 10, issue 24, 1-16

Abstract: More than ten billion tons of construction waste are generated every year in the world. The large volume of construction waste not only increases costs for contractors, but also poses a threat to the environment. A significant proportion of construction waste consists of off-cuts of raw materials. Therefore, to reduce construction waste, this study builds an optimization model to reduce the volume of off-cuts of raw materials. We then develop two solution methods—a mixed-integer linear programming method and a column generation method—to solve the proposed optimization model. We conduct numerical experiments to test the efficiency and applicability of our proposed model. The mixed-integer linear programming method obtains optimal solutions and is suitable for solving small-scale instances, whereas the column generation method gives high-quality solutions within seconds and is suitable for solving large-scale instances. In the large-scale instances, the column generation method reduces waste by over 10% compared to the use of two straightforward decisions rules. Our findings will help construction projects decrease material off-cuts, reduce costs, and achieve sustainable construction.

Keywords: construction waste management; sustainable construction; green construction sites; integer linear programming (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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