$($Past Midterm Question$)$

A layout of five departments in a rectangular building of dimensions $75$ meters by $40$

meters is being considered. The area requirements of these departments, A$,$ B$,$ C$,$ D$,$

and $E$ are $800,400,900,300,$ and $600$ square$-$meters, respectively. The flow$-$between

values, omitting the zeros, are given as $f_{AC}=5,f_{AE}=3,f_{BC}=6,f_{BD}=2,f_{CD}=3,$ and

$f_{DE}=7.$ Assume all unit cost values are unity.

a$)$ Use the BLOCPLAN procedure to generate a layout plan if two horizontal bands

are to be formed with departments $E$ and $C$ in the first band and in the given order

and departments B$,$ A$,$ and D in the second band and again in the given order.

Calculate the total flow cost value using rectilinear distances.

b$)$ Find the resulting layout by exchange the locations of the departments $E$ and D$.$

Calculate the total cost of this new layout.