journal article·2025-02-26Open access

AI-Driven Optimization of Sanitary Facilities in Office Buildings: A Machine Learning Approach Using LSTM Neural Networks

Samson Tan, Teik Toe Teoh

Applied Sciences· Volume 15· Issue 5

Abstract

This study introduces an artificial intelligence-based approach to planning sanitary facilities in buildings, with a focus on long short-term memory neural networks. By examining factors like occupancy patterns, daily fluctuations, and building-specific characteristics, the model delivers data-driven guidance for fixture allocation. Validation was carried out using empirical data from a Singaporean office building, resulting in strong predictive performance and improved operational efficiency. The long short-term memory model surpassed traditional methods, with a 39.26% boost in mean absolute percentage error over queueing theory. In a real-world scenario, its predictions were within 2.63–4.76% of actual needs, whereas prescriptive codes deviated by 12.07–19.05%. Sensitivity analysis showed that total occupancy, time of day, and gender ratio exerted the greatest influence, enabling gender-specific recommendations. The findings also indicate a potential 15% cut in overall fixtures with no compromise in service quality, providing considerable cost and space savings. By uniting advanced computational modeling with real data, this research demonstrates how artificial intelligence can elevate sanitary facility planning toward evidence-based decision-making, efficient resource use, and higher user satisfaction. The results may influence policy, regulatory standards, and performance-oriented design in contemporary buildings.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Anomaly Detection Techniques and Applications · Building Energy and Comfort Optimization · Air Quality Monitoring and Forecasting

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Institute of Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University, Melbourne 3020, Australia

Staarch Pte Ltd., 42A Club Street, Singapore 069420, Singapore

Artificial Intelligence, Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 069420, Singapore

References (27)

Show source-provided references
1. Greed, C. (2007). Inclusive Urban Design: Public Toilets, Routledge.10.4324/9780080495354 ↗
2. (2011). Compliance Document for New Zealand Building Code Clause G1 Personal Hygiene.
3. UK Government (2016). UK Approved Document G—Sanitation, Hot Water Safety and Water Efficiency.
4. ICC (2018). International Plumbing Code (IPC), International Code Council.
5. Queuing Theory in Modern Technology, Areas Covered, and Challenges10.54097/ddya1z44 ↗
6. The potty parity problem: Towards gender equality at restrooms in business facilities10.1016/j.seps.2018.11.003 ↗
7. National Environment Agency (2024). Code of Practice on Environmental Health (2024 edition).
8. Research and Application Analysis of the Basic Theory of Queuing Theory
9. Smith, J.S., and Sturrock, D.T. (2024). Simio and Simulation: Modeling, Analysis, Applications, Simio LLC. [7th ed.].
10. ABCB (2019). NCC 2019 Volume One—Building Code of Australia, ABCB.
11. Ching, F.D.K., and Winkel, S.R. (2021). Building Codes Illustrated: A Guide to Understanding the 2021 International Building Code, John Wiley & Sons.
12. Rothausen-Vange, J., Cooper, S., Wirth, S., Bruggemann, K., Kindvall, K., Agnew, R., de Keyzer, I., Ambrose, D., and Duffy, C. (2015). Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design, Transportation Research Board.10.17226/22153 ↗
13. A Study of the use of Cloakrooms in Office Buildings10.1057/jors.1976.169 ↗
14. Haight, F.A. (1963). Mathematical Theories of Traffic Flow (Mathematics in Science and Engineering, Vol. 7), Academic Press.
15. Kira, A. (1976). The Bathroom, Penguin Books.
16. A survey of parameter and state estimation in queues10.1007/s11134-021-09688-w ↗
17. Long short-term memory10.1162/neco.1997.9.8.1735 ↗
18. Naveed, M.S., Hanif, M.F., Metwaly, M., Iqbal, I., Lodhi, E., Liu, X., and Mi, J. (2024). Leveraging Advanced AI Algorithms with Transformer-Infused Recurrent Neural Networks to Optimize Solar Irradiance Forecasting. Front. Energy Res., 12.10.3389/fenrg.2024.1485690 ↗
19. Comparative Investigation of Learning Algorithms for Image Classification with Small Dataset10.1080/08839514.2021.1922841 ↗
20. Long Short-Term Memory Neural Network for Building Energy Consumption Prediction: Optimization and Application
21. Metaheuristic-Optimized LSTM Network for Solar Energy Prediction: A Comparative Study
22. Structural Response Prediction of Train-Bridge Systems Using Advanced Neural Networks
23. Multi-Sensor-Based Occupancy Prediction in Commercial Buildings Using Transformer Networks10.3390/buildings13082002 ↗
24. Stochastic grey-box modeling of queueing systems: Fitting birth-and-death processes to data10.1007/s11134-014-9429-3 ↗
25. Asanjarani, A., and Nazarathy, Y. (2024). Parameter and state estimation in queues and related stochastic models: A bibliography. arXiv.
26. Bergstra, J., Yamins, D., and Cox, D. (2013, January 16–21). Making a science of model search: Hyperparameter optimization in hundreds of dimensions for vision architectures. Proceedings of the 30th International Conference on Machine Learning, Atlanta, GA, USA. PMLR.
27. No Free Lunch Theorems for Optimization10.1109/4235.585893 ↗