Finding architectural plans
Find plans in books
Books are an excellent starting point to find architectural plans, sections, drawings and images.
You can use the Library Search to find books about an architect or building. You can also include the keyword plan or plans in your search.
Below is an example search using the terms: Glenn Murcutt plans
Resources to find architectural details & precedents
- ArtStor, includes academic content, Images, Books, Videos, etc. You can browse “By Subject” and choose “Architecture & Architectural History”.
- RIBA ebook collection, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) ebooks focus on architecture, design and construction.
- ArchDaily, includes sketches, technical details, plans, elevations, photographs, or visualisations. You can browse architectural projects by country, by architect, or by materials.
- Architectural Record, provides news updates, book reviews, exhibition reviews, interviews with top newsmakers from the architecture world, and architectural record archives.
- Dezeen, an architecture and design magazine, that might have drawings, technical specifications, elevations, photos, or visualisations.
- ArchitectureAU, a source for news, project reviews and products from the architecture, design, interiors and landscape worlds.
- Detail library, shares construction details that can be adjusted and amended to suit your own projects.
- Architecture and Design Collection Highlights (The Getty Research Institute), includes contents on international architecture and design and architectural photography.
- Cities and Buildings Database, a collection of digitised images of buildings and cities from various periods and locations worldwide, accessible to students, researchers, and educators online. The collection is searchable by country, city, style, title, and architect.
- CyArk, a digital archive of the World's Heritage Sites for Preservation and Education which includes projects with virtual 3D tours.
- Art and Architecture Source, covers a broad range of related subjects, from fine, decorative and commercial art, to various areas of architecture and architectural design.
- Google Arts & Culture, you can find artworks, landmarks and world heritage sites, as well as digital exhibitions that tell the stories behind the archives of cultural institutions across the globe.
- Architects Journal Buildings Library, showcases thousands of exemplar projects, most from the last 20 years but including major projects back to 1900.
- Detail Inspiration, includes plans, drawings, elevations, technical specifications and images for over 4000 architectural designs from around the world.
Professional associations and networks
- The American Institute of Architects (AIA), provides resources, education, and networking opportunities for architecture professionals, including seminars and workshops focused on architectural detailing.
- Australian Institute of Architects, includes networking events and education programs and works collaboratively with key stakeholders across government and industry and with affiliate peak organisations.
- Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), provides resources including access to the RIBA Library, talks, and professional development opportunities focused on design and detailing.
- International Union of Architects (UIA), facilitates international exchange and education in architecture by offering conferences, competitions, and workshops that enhance understanding of global detailing practices.
Finding historical plans on websites
The following websites are a source of plans, drawings, elevations or images in Australia but especially Melbourne or Geelong.
- State Library of Victoria drawings collection, the SLV architecture drawings collection includes mostly Victorian architects’ drawings of the 19th and 20th century buildings.
- Victorian Heritage Database, the Victorian Heritage Database is home to the Victorian Heritage Register which lists the state's most significant heritage places. The register includes descriptions, images and sometimes plans of Heritage buildings in Victoria.
- Geelong Heritage Centre, Geelong’s archive and resource centre which collects the history of Geelong and beyond. The collection includes maps, plans and photographs of Geelong built environment history.
- TROVE, by searching Trove you can find access to, or the locations of, collections from Australian libraries, universities, museums, galleries and archives. This includes images and plans of buildings. Refine your search to Images, Maps & Artefacts to locate plans and images.
- Public Record Office of Victoria, find archives of historic building plans and documents from Melbourne and around Victoria.
Find plans, sections and drawings in journals or magazines
Searching the databases Art and Architecture Source and Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals is a good place to start.
Follow the steps below to locate plans, elevations and sections within journal and magazine articles.
- Navigate to Art and Architecture Source
- In the first search field type the name of the building or architect
- In the second search field enter the terms plans OR section OR elevation, and select Search
- To access the full-text plan or drawing, select the PDF option or Find it @Deakin button
- Repeat this process in Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals
Example
The library record below shows a journal article that contains images of building plans.
Books and ebooks with plans and architectural details
In these books you will find floor plans, architectural details, photography and illustrations relating to buildings from around the world.
The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture by Publication Date: 2004An atlas presenting a global survey of contemporary architecture works from around the world. It includes detailed plans, elevations and images.
Key buildings of the 20th century: plans, sections and elevations by Publication Date: 2010This book features over 100 influential and significant buildings from the 20th century. For each of the buildings it includes a number of plans, floor plans, elevations, sections, images and site plans.
Key Houses of the Twentieth Century: plans, sections and elevations by Publication Date: 2006This book includes residential works by seminal architects such as Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe, and Alvar Aalto, as well as houses by more recent masters such as Tadao Ando, Rem Koolhaas, and Glen Murcutt. Scale plans of every floor, together with elevations, sections, and site plans are include for all the works.
Key Contemporary Buildings: Plans, Sections, and Elevations by Rob GregoryISBN: 9781856695015Publication Date: 2008This book includes a collection of more than one hundred twenty-first-century buildings of particular interest for study by students and professionals.
Key Buildings from Prehistory to the Present by ISBN: 9781780673172Publication Date: 2012-01-01This book features around 150 of the most important buildings in the history of world architectureOCofrom the pyramids and the Parthenon to some of the most significant works by recent architects.
Basics Detail Drawing by ISBN: 9783035613926Publication Date: 2018-01-09Drawings are produced in various degrees of detail. Depending on the function of the drawings, they are produced in scales from 1:20 to 1:1 in order to define the materials and method of joining, and to better illustrate the various dimensions. Basics Detailed Drawings explains, step by step, how to compose detailed designs and produce correct construction drawings, using clear examples.
Precedents in Architecture by ISBN: 9781118170823Publication Date: 2012-02-15Thirty-eight leading architects are represented in this updated edition through an analysis of more than 100 buildings that are assessed using a diagrammatic technique applicable to any building. This impressive collection includes fourteen new buildings and seven new, innovative architects distinguished by the strength, quality, and interest of their designs. It delivers valuable guidance in analyzing architectural history as an evolutionary process by exploring the commonality of design ideas reflected in a broad range of structures by internationally renowned architects.
