The objectives of this paper are two: (i) propose an evolutionary algorithm for optimizing the topology of a heat-generating area cooled by a high thermal conductivity material in contact with a heat sink, and (ii) compare the evolutionary procedure and optimal structures found to the ones predicted by constructal theory. The evolutionary algorithm starts with an initial random topology, for which control volumes are repositioned based on temperature and heat flux information in order to minimize the hot spot temperature. Significant diminution of the hot spot temperatures have been achieved by the algorithm. Results revealed three families of geometrical configurations for the optimal conductive pathways generated by our algorithm, depending on the values of the conductivity ratio and amount of high thermal conductivity material: few radial blades growing on the heat sink, tree-shaped networks, and networks with loops. The optimal structures are compared with the heat tree architectures generated by constructal theory, and several similarities in terms of performances and geometries are revealed. (C) 2007 Published by Elsevier Ltd.