Gülşen, MehmetGöksal, Fatma Pınar2023-10-122023-10-122023https:/dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24294-6_3https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12451/11151This study proposes a solution approach to the layout problem in facilities with unequal department areas. To organize the layout, a flexible bay structure (FBS) is used as the basis. The FBS is commonly used in the design of production and retail facilities in which, departments are positioned in horizontal bays. Each bay typically includes multiple departments of varying lengths. The proposed approach starts with a randomly generated initial layout. To create the initial layout, the facility block is first divided into horizontal bays. Then, departments are randomly assigned to those bays. The assignment order determines the position of each department within a bay. By using the initial layout as a reference, alternative layouts are generated by two-way exchanges of departments. Relying solely on department swaps limits the variety in alternative generation (e.g., the number of departments in bays remains constant). To overcome this hurdle, we introduce virtual departments with zero areas. Introducing virtual departments enhances the search process by increasing the number and variety of possible solutions. A performance comparison with the standard two-way exchange algorithm on two test cases shows the superiority of the proposed approach.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessBLOCPLANFlexible Bay StructureLayout OptimizationTwo-way ExchangeConference Object212710.1007/978-3-031-24294-6_3Q4