APPARATUS, METHOD, AND SYSTEM

An apparatus for designing a plant. The apparatus includes processing circuitry configured to: receive a specification of a position of a rack in a virtual space; receiving a setting of a pipe to be arranged in a layer indicating one of tiers into which the rack is partitioned in a height direction; receive, from a user, an operation of arranging a first object and a second object in the virtual space, the first object being a piece of equipment having a start point, the second object being a piece of equipment having an end point; determine a passable layer based on a type of the pipe and set a piping path through which the pipe is to pass; and perform pipe routing to connect a plurality of the pieces of equipment with the pipe based on the piping path and positions of the start point and the end point.