Investigating Innovative Architectural Patterns Based on BIM and GA Using Design Typology in Railway Station Design

Ebrahimi Vafaei, Seyed Aliyar; Khakzand, Mehdi; Behzadpour, Mohammad; Talebian, Mohammad Hossein; Motazedian, Fahimeh

doi:10.22034/ijumes.2025.2026325.1210

Investigating Innovative Architectural Patterns Based on BIM and GA Using Design Typology in Railway Station Design

Document Type : Case Study

Authors

Seyed Aliyar Ebrahimi Vafaei ¹

Mehdi Khakzand ²

Mohammad Behzadpour ³

Mohammad Hossein Talebian ⁴

Fahimeh Motazedian ¹

¹ Department of Architecture, Pardis Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

² Department of Architecture, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

³ Department of Architecture, Hashtgerd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hashtgerd, Iran

⁴ Department of Architecture, Fine Art Faculty, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/ijumes.2025.2026325.1210

Abstract

Spatial arrangement is a complex problem for architects, who must consider adjacencies, room sizes, and site constraints. This research optimizes spatial layout in two dimensions using genetic algorithms. Visual programming languages that interface with BIM software are used to allow for semantic and topological qualities of each station to be utilized for developing complete floor plans. A set of case studies are presented with the adoption of different machine learning techniques to demonstrate the relative performance of each approach, using the minimization of unusable space as a performance metric. Previous research has considered purely mathematical solutions to support the automation of these layouts, often resulting in irregular polygons or other room shapes. From an architectural perspective, this is undesirable, and therefore a rectangular packing algorithm has been developed and utilized. On the other hand, architectural heritage in historical areas, as a complex type of heritage, encompasses both the uniqueness of the building itself and the cultural and regional characteristics as a group. This paper develops a digital form generation method for a railway station using design typology analysis.

Graphical Abstract

Investigating Innovative Architectural Patterns Based on BIM and GA Using Design Typology in Railway Station Design

Highlights

The concept of typology and evaluation of the architecture of traditional schools from both visual and functional perspectives.
Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Genetic Algorithms (GA) are transformative tools that introduce new capabilities in architectural design. BIM, as a digital process, enables the creation and management of building information
Visual programming languages that interface with BIM software are used to allow for semantic and topological qualities of each station to be utilized for developing complete floor plans
Set of 17 rooms and a sample site of 35 meters by 35 meters (1225 square meters) was created along with the required adjacency relationships. Finaly involved defining the polygons as data points to be imported into BIM through Dynamo in Revit. Following that, a typological analysis of the railway station was conducted based on the relationships between architectural arrangement and cultural contexts. Circular diagrams serve as schematic representations for the room layouts.
By significantly reducing the time spent on repetitive tasks, architects can explore a wider range of potential building footprints and floor plans to optimize energy performance and focus on the residents' experience of the space, ultimately improving the overall quality of the design.

Keywords

Automated Floor Plan Generation

BIM

Design Typology

Genetic Algorithm

Parametric Modeling

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