Constructing staging trees in hierarchical circuit designs

A method can include receiving design data of the integrated circuit, the design data indicates a set of sub-units partitioning an area of an integrated circuit, and a clock tree coupling the sub-units, the clock tree including a selected memory element, a predecessor memory element, and successor elements; determining a valid placement region for relocating the selected memory element; generating grid comprising first set of perpendicularly intersecting lines through the selected memory element, predecessor memory element, and successor elements; extending the grid to include second set of perpendicularly intersecting lines through vertices of the valid placement region and through intersections between edges of the valid placement region and the first set of perpendicularly intersecting lines; determining, within the valid placement region, a point in the extended grid having a minimum total rectilinear distance to the predecessor memory element and the successor elements; relocating the memory element to the determined point.