A method of operating a computing device for generating an efficient laboratory layout, the method comprising: a) obtaining, with the computing device, a set of constraints pertaining to a set of facilities and a laboratory area, wherein the set of constraints comprises, for each facility, a dimension of the facility and a discipline, and wherein the laboratory area comprises a dimension, a set of free areas, and an entrance; b) obtaining, with the computing device, a flow collection that describes one or more flows of objects between facilities from the set of facilities; d) generating, with the computing device, a set of initial layouts for the facilities within the laboratory area based upon a set of partial layouts, the flow collection and the set of constraints; and identifying a set of diverse layouts within the set of initial layouts for generating the efficient laboratory layout using a diversity measure algorithm of the computing device, wherein: a) each layout in the set of initial layouts comprises a set of discipline groups; b) a best initial layout, selected according to an objective equation, in the set of initial layouts is immediately added to the set of diverse layouts; and c) the diversity measure algorithm comprises, for each layout in the set of initial layouts, determining a sum of distances between gravity centers of each of the sets of discipline groups in that layout, and, where the sum of distances for that layout is substantially different from the sum of distances of each diverse layout in the set of diverse layouts, add that layout to the set of diverse layouts, wherein the layouts from the set of initial layouts, not identified as diverse layouts are omitted for generating the efficient laboratory layout. a) obtaining, with the computing device, a set of constraints pertaining to a set of facilities and a laboratory area, wherein the set of constraints comprises, for each facility, a dimension of the facility and a discipline, and wherein the laboratory area comprises a dimension, a set of free areas, and an entrance; b) obtaining, with the computing device, a flow collection that describes one or more flows of objects between facilities from the set of facilities; d) generating, with the computing device, a set of initial layouts for the facilities within the laboratory area based upon a set of partial layouts, the flow collection and the set of constraints; and identifying a set of diverse layouts within the set of initial layouts for generating the efficient laboratory layout using a diversity measure algorithm of the computing device, wherein: a) each layout in the set of initial layouts comprises a set of discipline groups; b) a best initial layout, selected according to an objective equation, in the set of initial layouts is immediately added to the set of diverse layouts; and c) the diversity measure algorithm comprises, for each layout in the set of initial layouts, determining a sum of distances between gravity centers of each of the sets of discipline groups in that layout, and, where the sum of distances for that layout is substantially different from the sum of distances of each diverse layout in the set of diverse layouts, add that layout to the set of diverse layouts, a) each layout in the set of initial layouts comprises a set of discipline groups; b) a best initial layout, selected according to an objective equation, in the set of initial layouts is immediately added to the set of diverse layouts; and c) the diversity measure algorithm comprises, for each layout in the set of initial layouts, determining a sum of distances between gravity centers of each of the sets of discipline groups in that layout, and, where the sum of distances for that layout is substantially different from the sum of distances of each diverse layout in the set of diverse layouts, add that layout to the set of diverse layouts, wherein the layouts from the set of initial layouts, not identified as diverse layouts are omitted for generating the efficient laboratory layout.