Optimized Exit Location Planning in an Underground Mega Mall Based on Mathematical Model of Algorithm

Multipurpose buildings that have an underground mega mall require distinguished functional considerations compared to small conventional underground spaces. Thus, this study starts with an assumption that architects' knowledge and personal decisions may not be reliable and valid in a massive multipurpose underground mall, because it is beyond general sense in terms of size and function. Especially, when considering safety issues, an architect's personal subjective decisions should be evaluated with scientific and objective criteria. Therefore, the intention of this study is to present an emergency exit and staircase planning method based on a mathematical model of optimized algorithm. The fundamental notions of the mathematical model and optimized algorithm that this study has developed for architectural planning, practically adapted the theoretical and mechanical principal that has been used in the field of industrial engineering for many decades. Consequently, the developed algorithm was able to prove that it could indicate the most efficient exit/staircase location for a certain space and assign it based on quantitative analysis.