  A prototype tool to assist architects during the early design stage of floor
plans has been developed, consisting of an Evolutionary Program for the Space
Allocation Problem (EPSAP), which generates sets of floor plan alternatives
according to the architect's preferences; and a Floor Plan Performance
Optimization Program (FPOP), which optimizes the selected solutions according
to thermal performance criteria. The design variables subject to optimization
are window position and size, overhangs, fins, wall positioning, and building
orientation. A procedure using a transformation operator with gradient descent,
such as behavior, coupled with a dynamic simulation engine was developed for
the thermal evaluation and optimization process. However, the need to evaluate
all possible alternatives regarding designing variables being used during the
optimization process leads to an intensive use of thermal simulation, which
dramatically increases the simulation time, rendering it unpractical. An
alternative approach is a smart optimization approach, which utilizes an
oriented and adaptive search technique to efficiently find the near optimum
solution. This paper presents the search methodology for the building
orientation of floor plan designs, and the corresponding efficiency and
effectiveness indicators. The calculations are based on 100 floor plan designs
generated by EPSAP. All floor plans have the same design program, location, and
weather data, changing only their geometry. Dynamic simulation of buildings was
effectively used together with the optimization procedure in this approach to
significantly improve the designs. The use of the orientation variable has been
included in the algorithm.
