diff --git a/include/algorithm/partition.hpp b/include/algorithm/partition.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bf5be89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/algorithm/partition.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+#ifndef PROJECT_X_ALGORITHM_PARTITION_HPP_
+#define PROJECT_X_ALGORITHM_PARTITION_HPP_
+
+#include "graph/forward_star.hpp"
+
+#include <cstdint>
+#include <vector>
+
+namespace project_x {
+namespace algorithm {
+
+// recursive bisection of a forward star graph, following a fixed balance
+// constraint for cells
+class Partition {
+public:
+  using PartitionID = std::uint64_t;
+
+  Partition(ForwardStar const &graph, std::uint32_t const max_cell_size);
+
+private:
+  // compute a set of base-cells
+  std::vector<PartitionID> compute_cells(std::uint32_t const max_cell_size);
+
+  graph::ForwardStar const &graph;
+};
+
+} // namespace algorithm
+} // namespace project_x
+
+#endif // PROJECT_X_ALGORITHM_PARTITION_HPP_
diff --git a/include/algorithm/union_find.hpp b/include/algorithm/union_find.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..889ce14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/algorithm/union_find.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+#ifndef PROJECT_X_ALGORITHM_UNION_FIND_HPP_
+#define PROJECT_X_ALGORITHM_UNION_FIND_HPP_
+
+#include <cstdint>
+#include <vector>
+
+namespace project_x {
+namespace algorithm {
+// implementaiton of the classic union-find algorithm, allowing combination of
+// entries into groups and finding representatives of these groups
+class UnionFind {
+public:
+  UnionFind(std::uint64_t const universe_size);
+
+  // combine two groups into a single one
+  void unite(std::uint64_t const lhs, std::uint64_t const rhs);
+
+  // find the representative of a group
+  std::uint64_t find(std::uint64_t rep);
+
+private:
+  std::vector<std::int64_t> reps;
+};
+} // namespace algorithm
+} // namespace project_x
+
+#endif // PROJECT_X_ALGORITHM_UNION_FIND_HPP_
diff --git a/src/algorithm/CMakeLists.txt b/src/algorithm/CMakeLists.txt
index 2897304..573759b 100644
--- a/src/algorithm/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/algorithm/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 set (algorithm_SOURCES
-  "scc.cpp")
+  "scc.cpp"
+  "union_find.cpp")
 
 add_library(Xalgorithm STATIC
   ${algorithm_SOURCES})
diff --git a/src/algorithm/partition.cpp b/src/algorithm/partition.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2da3cd7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/algorithm/partition.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+#include "algorithm/partition.hpp"
+#include "algorithm/union_find.hpp"
+#include "graph/id.hpp"
+
+#include <queue>
+
+namespace project_x {
+namespace algorithm {
+
+namespace {
+std::vector<NodeID> close_nodes(graph::ForwardStar const &graph,
+                                NodeID const to_node,
+                                std::uint32_t node_count) {
+  std::vector<NodeID> nodes;
+  nodes.push_back(to_node);
+
+  return nodes;
+}
+} // namespace
+
+Partition::Partition(graph::ForwardStar const &graph,
+                     std::uint32_t const max_cell_size)
+    : graph(graph) {
+  auto cells = compute_cells(max_cell_size);
+}
+
+std::vector<std::uint32_t>
+Partition::compute_cells(std::uint32_t max_cell_size) {
+  algorithm::UnionFind uf(graph.number_of_nodes());
+}
+
+} // namespace algorithm
+} // namespace project_x
diff --git a/src/algorithm/union_find.cpp b/src/algorithm/union_find.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a4a7407
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/algorithm/union_find.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+#include "algorithm/union_find.hpp"
+
+#include <algorithm>
+
+namespace project_x {
+namespace algorithm {
+
+UnionFind::UnionFind(std::uint64_t const universe_size)
+    : reps(universe_size, -1) {}
+
+void UnionFind::unite(std::uint64_t const lhs, std::uint64_t const rhs) {
+  // union by size
+  auto const lhs_rep = find(lhs);
+  auto const rhs_rep = find(rhs);
+
+  if (lhs_rep == rhs_rep)
+    return;
+
+  auto const lhs_size = std::abs(reps[lhs_rep]);
+  auto const rhs_size = std::abs(reps[rhs_rep]);
+
+  if (lhs_size < rhs_size) {
+    reps[lhs_rep] -= rhs_size;
+    reps[rhs_rep] = lhs_rep;
+  } else {
+    reps[rhs_rep] -= lhs_size;
+    reps[lhs_rep] = rhs_rep;
+  }
+}
+
+// find the representative of a group
+std::uint64_t UnionFind::find(std::uint64_t rep) {
+  if (reps[rep] < 0)
+    return rep;
+  else {
+    // path compression
+    reps[rep] = find(reps[rep]);
+    return reps[rep];
+  }
+}
+
+} // namespace algorithm
+} // namespace project_x
diff --git a/test/algorithm/CMakeLists.txt b/test/algorithm/CMakeLists.txt
index 443f1ca..720e314 100644
--- a/test/algorithm/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/test/algorithm/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -10,3 +10,4 @@ set(testINCLUDES
 
 add_unit_test(scc scc.cpp "${testLIBS}" "${testINCLUDES}")
 add_unit_test(dijkstra dijkstra.cpp "${testLIBS}" "${testINCLUDES}")
+add_unit_test(union_find union_find.cpp "${testLIBS}" "${testINCLUDES}")
diff --git a/test/algorithm/union_find.cpp b/test/algorithm/union_find.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b2a93c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/algorithm/union_find.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+#include "algorithm/union_find.hpp"
+
+// make sure we get a new main function here
+#define BOOST_TEST_MODULE UnionFind
+#define BOOST_TEST_MAIN
+#include <boost/test/unit_test.hpp>
+
+using namespace project_x;
+
+// test a construction of an undirected graph from a set of edges
+BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(uf_algo) {
+  algorithm::UnionFind uf(10);
+  BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(uf.find(0), 0);
+  BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(uf.find(1), 1);
+  BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(uf.find(2), 2);
+  BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(uf.find(3), 3);
+  BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(uf.find(4), 4);
+  BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(uf.find(5), 5);
+  BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(uf.find(6), 6);
+  BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(uf.find(7), 7);
+  BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(uf.find(8), 8);
+  BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(uf.find(9), 9);
+
+  uf.unite(0, 1);
+  uf.unite(0, 2);
+
+  BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(uf.find(1), uf.find(2));
+
+  uf.unite(4, 4);
+  BOOST_CHECK(uf.find(4) != uf.find(0));
+  uf.unite(uf.find(0), uf.find(5));
+  BOOST_CHECK(uf.find(4) != uf.find(5));
+  BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(uf.find(0), uf.find(5));
+  uf.unite(uf.find(6), uf.find(0));
+  BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(uf.find(6), uf.find(5));
+}