After completing a BArch at the end of 1976, went on for a further year as a full-time research student developing one of the first prototypical CAD systems that explored the notion of constructing digital models of buildings represented as assemblages of objects with embedded knowledge about materiality and relationships between the builidng parts, a technology now known as building information modeling (BIM). From 1978, worked as a professional architect in Melbourne for 3 years while completing the MArch dissertation. Became a registered architect in Victoria in 1980. Joined the Faculty at UNSW in 1981 as a lecturer specialising in computing in architecture. Have exercised active leadership in the Faculty since that time, establishing much of the IT curriculum and resources. From 1999 through to 2001, served as Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies). From 2006 to present, am serving as Head of the School of the Built Environment.
Areas of special interest and expertise: information modelling as applied in the professional design disciplines associated with the built environment.
Teaching
Most teaching currently revolves around the application of information modelling techniques to improve the design and delivery of the built environment. This includes a core course on building information modelling (BIM) taken by Year 2 students in Architecture, Interior Architecture and Architectural Computing; a Year 2 core course on design information management for Year 2 Architectural Computing students; and a co-teaching role in the delivery of an elective course that explores the use of a shared BIM database to support multi-disciplinary design collaboration.
Research
Current research relates to the application and development of industry standard exchange formats to support all-of-life design, delivery and management of buildings through the maintenance of a full 3D model representation of the design, supported by a shared building information model hosted on an object model server. A particular application of that concept is to support collaborative design processes in the building industry. Currently running a major ARC Linkage grant from July 2007 (worth $630K over 3 years) called UrbanIT, where the aim is to extend the object-based information modelling concept to an urban scale in collaboration with the NSW Dept of Planning, the City of Sydney and Landcom.
Recent Publications
Papers & Book Chapters
Hough, R., Downing, S. & Plume, JD., 2008, 'DIgital Architecture and Its Implications for Structural Engineerings for Structural Engineering', in Innocations in Structural Engineering and Construction, eds Y. M. Xie and I. Patnaikuni, Melbourne, Australia, The Netherlands, pp. 57 - 62
Vrcelj, Z., Attard, MM., Margalit, HZ. & Plume, JD., 2007, 'New Civil with Architecture Program @ UNSW'. In: Proceedings of ConnectED 2007 International Conference on Design Education. UNSW Sydney, UNSW, pp. 1 - 5 2007.
Mitchell, JR., Wong, JC. & Plume, JD., 2007, 'Design Collaboration Using IFC: A Case Study of Thermal Analysis'. In: Computer-Aided Architectural Design Futures 2007. The Netherlands, Springer, pp. 317 - 329 2007.
Plume, JD. & Mitchell, JR., 2007, 'Collaborative design using a shared IFC building model-Learning from experience'. Automation in Construction 2007; 16(1): pp. 28 - 36.
Plume, JD. & Barton, J., 2006, 'A Geospatial Approach to Managing Public Housing on Superlots', in Innovations in 3D Geo Information Systems, eds Abdul-Rahman, Zlatanova & Coors, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Berlin, pp. 615 - 628
Plume, JD. & Arjun, G., 2006, 'Collaborative Architectural Design as a Reflective Conversation: an agent facilitated system to support collaborative conceptual design', in Computing in Architecture: Re-Thinking the Discourse, eds Jamal Al-Qawasmi & Zaki Mallasi, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, United Arab Emirates, pp. 264 - 271
Plume, JD. & Mitchell, JR., 2005, 'A multidisciplinary design studio using a shared IFC-based building method', in Computer Aided Architectureal Design Futures 2005, eds B. Marten and A. Brown, Vienna, Austria, Vienna, Austria, pp. 445 - 454
Barton, JE., Plume, JD. & Parolin, BP., 2005, 'Public participation in a spatial decision support system for public housing', in Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, vol 29 no 6(1st), pp. 630 - 652.
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Page Last Updated: 13 Nov 2009
Management Group
UrbanIT - ARC Linkage Grant