A knowledge-based system for house layout selection

Automatic reasoning is applied to building design problems with a large number of standardized conditions, such as normal housing. Industrialized home building can provide quick-to-build low-cost dwellings, but these buildings often are not as appropriate for the local climate, building site or to the occupant needs as tailor-made homes. In this article we present a knowledge-based system (KBS) that combines advantages from both methods. It considers the data corresponding to the building site (dimensions, local building codes, . . . ), the climate and the purchaser (budget, family size, . . . ) and recommends a particular design. © 2004 IMACS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.