Decision Making Approaches for Complex Adaptive Systems in Built Environment

The decision processes in the construction industry are complex with several dimensions that have to be taken into consideration. These comprise, for instance, of the urban planning, health and safety, facilities management, and energy efficiency. The process of designing and erecting a building usually involves multiple and conflicting objectives such as cost, time, quality, resource utilization, to name a few. The decisions in addressing various aspects concerning the construction process and the sustainability of the end product are numerous and of the conflicting nature. Therefore, finding an appropriate decision making approach is the cornerstone of the effective decision process. This paper proposes the use of biomimicry and genetic algorithms as an alternative to the established practice in decision making for the complex and adaptive system in built environment.