Work

Low-Intervention Optimization of Exit Locations in Complex Multi-Room Buildings: A Mechanism-Oriented Analysis Based on a Direction-Aware Cellular Automaton Model and Multi-Dimensional Evaluation

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Exit location can influence evacuation efficiency without changing the number of exits, yet its mechanism lacks quantitative characterization. Using a complex single-floor hospital outpatient department floor plan with 186 occupants as the case study, based on a direction-aware cellular automaton (CA) model, this study constructed two exit layout scenarios within the same complex building floor plan and independently repeated 50 simulations for each scenario under identical occupant population and model parameters. A mechanism-oriented analysis was conducted from the perspectives of evacuation efficiency, structural fairness, behavioral fairness, and structure–behavior deviation. The results showed that, in this case, exit relocation shortened the total evacuation time by approximately 20% (p<0.001) and significantly reduced the concentration of exit utilization, whereas the service area distribution changed only slightly, and local peak density did not increase significantly. This indicates that exit location improves evacuation efficiency by restructuring the crowd-splitting structure rather than by a simple balancing of structural service coverage. This study provides quantitative evidence for performance-based evacuation design and sustainable safety optimization in complex spaces.

Source: Sustainability

DOI: 10.3390/su18073286

Authors: Yi Xu, Ying Zhou

Institution: Southeast University

Language: English

Topic: Evacuation and Crowd Dynamics

Subfield: Ocean Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896