18th Int. Conf. on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality
22 to 23 Nov 2018, Auckland, New Zealand
Robert is a professor at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Auckland. While his PhD was in computer science he is really interested in the application of computer science to the fields of architecture, engineering, construction and facility management (AEC/FM). This came from several years working at the School of Architecture at Victoria University of Wellington, then in the mid 1990's he had 5 years at the Centre for Construction IT at the BRE in the UK, where he observed the problems associated with the introduction of computing into the architecture, engineering and construction fields. He has also had the great fortune to spend sabbatical time at Penn State University in State College, USA, Technical University of Eindhoven in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands, EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, Georgia Tech in Atlanta, USA, RMIT in Melbourne, Australia, and TU Delft in The Netherlands.
Vicente has been a staff member within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The University of Auckland since 2010. He actively conducts research in a number of fields in construction management and civil engineering and is the author of more than 100 publications including 3 books (1 author and 2 editor), 42 papers in world-leading journals and 56 peer-reviewed conference papers to date. He is also a member of scientific boards, and an editor and reviewer of international journals and conferences. He has been a visiting scholar at Technion of Israel and at another two top Latin American universities. He is actively involved in research with academics in Australia, NZ, USA, UK, Mexico, Chile, Finland, India, Israel, among others. He currently supervises nine PhD students and co-supervises four. He has supervised 2 postdoctoral fellows up to date. Vicente has secured US$2.7 million in research funds over his career in different roles. He is the director of the Engineering VR/AR Lab and the Advanced Computing and Virtual Technologies in Construction (ACVTC) Research Group.
Dermott is a lecturer and researcher in Design and Digital Media at the University of Auckland. He has degrees in Architecture from the Queens University in Belfast (1995, 1999) and a PhD (The Artistry of Construction) from the University of Edinburgh (2009). Dermott’s research focuses on the social, organisational and cultural disruption that technology causes in the built environment. He has sustained a critical enquiry into how architecture, public space and design processes are influenced by communication technology through a variety of installations, funded research, journal articles and conference publications. Dermott was PI on ACEFutures, a research project investigating new technologies in the construction process, funded by the Building Research Association for New Zealand (NZ$65,000); Team member of a 6 year project researching the next generation of digital manufacturing materials and processes (NZ$ 12,000,000) funded by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment; PI on Digital Fieldnotes, an investigation into group working through locative media, funded by the University of Auckland (NZ$ 25,000). Dermott is also a member of the New Zealand National BIM Education Working Group, written advisory reports on innovation in the construction sector, and is Chair of the AECFutures thinktank supporting innovation in the construction sector.
Nash is the Director of the Technology Futures Institute, through which the engineering, science and technology research at Teesside University is structured and supported. This role includes responsibility for developing and promoting research strategies and vision throughout the institution. He has created CONVR informational annual conference (Construction Application of VR). 15 international CONVR conferences have been held around the world since CONVR first conference in the UK in 2000. He is specialised in BIM process and technology within the context of project construction management. His research and consultancy has ranged across several areas including: sustainable construction, 4-5D modelling, VR, risk management, intelligent decision support systems, cost forecasting and control and business processes.
Johannes is currently a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Auckland. His main research interests are in construction informatics, legal informatics, fire safety science, and performance-based compliant engineering designs. His PhD investigated a practical approach to automating compliance audit processes using open standards with a case study on an application to performance-based fire engineering design methods. Prior to his academic role at the university, he spent 30 years consulting in both the AEC/FM and ICT (Information Communication and Technology) industries. He is the director of a startup company "Compliance Audit Systems" developing practical compliance audit applications for Building Consent Authorities. He is also a member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) International Chapter.