1. Basics: Housing & Building Types, Analyses, Statistics
2. Single: Builders, Manufactured, Systems-Built, Prefab
3. Multifamily: Technical Reports & Newsletter, News, Council
4. Shared: Condominiums, Cohousing, Co-operatives
5. Rental: Non-Profit, Apartments, Secondary Suites
6. Big Buildings: Design, Light Commercial, Associations
7. More: Heritage, Traditional, Skyscraper, Historical Data
8. Ken’s Top Pick: If you have time to surf only one site

1. Basics: Housing, Buildings, Analyses, Statistics

Housing Types
These University of Minnesota Design Center fact sheets explain physical housing types, with a brief description, basic characteristics, variations, pictures, and common names.

Building Types
Wikipedia describes types of buildings used for agricultural, commercial, dwellings, educational, government, industrial, military, parking & storage, religious, transit, and other uses.

Analyses Of Building & House Types
From McGraw Hill, Architectural Record magazine offers analyses of many different building types, with photos, drawings, specifications, descriptions, and design solutions.

Canadian Housing Statistics
If you are looking for existing housing or market data, Stats Canada has census reports on household types, size age, occupancy, and more. Other reports are also available here.

2. Single: Builders, Manufactured, Systems-Built, Prefab

Production Builders Committee
For production builders, the NAHB Single Family Production Builder Committee offers resources on marketing, profitability, regulatory issues, IT, management, planning, and more.

Manufactured Housing
MHI, the US trade organization for the factory-built housing industry has technical information, event listings, education, research, guides, statistics, magazines, and resource links.

Systems-Built Homes
NAHB Building Systems Council provides information and resources on concrete, log, modular, and panelized homes. More info can be accessed from links on the left panel.

Modernist Prefab Dwellings
Fabprefab is a Web site for modernist prefab dwellings with news, dwellings available, projects, architecture, shipping containers, articles, books, forums, and links to more info.

3. Multi: Technical Reports & Newsletter, News, Council

Highrise & Multiples Technologies
CMHC Highrise & Multiples Innovation Group offers research, fact sheets, and guides covering construction, operation, issues, maintenance & repair, as well as construction details.

Multifamily Research Newsletter
The free Party Walls newsletter covers research, energy, retrofit and upgrade projects, accessibility and sustainability issues, and other challenges unique to multifamily buildings.

Multi-Housing Industry Magazine
For multi-housing industry news, reports, analysis, events shaping the industry, business resources, and product directory, visit the Multi Housing News magazine site.

Multifamily Council
This NAHB council site has information on multifamily issues, markets, education, business, events, awards, and other resources for those involved in building multifamily projects.

4. Shared: Condominiums, Cohousing, Co-operatives

Canadian Condominium Institute
As a non-profit organization CCI represents the condominium community, providing courses, events, newsletter, code of ethics, procedures, publications, and links to other resources.

Canadian Cohousing Network
CCN is a national cohousing resource organization offering articles on cohousing, a buy & rent exchange, locations, and a database of links to products, services, and more information.

Co-operatives
The Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada explains co-op housing, provides policies & procedures for starting and managing them, publications, news, events, and more.

Guide To Co-op Housing
This CMHC online guide covers legislation, forming & running a housing co-op, admitting members, obligations, eviction of members, collecting money, and a glossary of terms.

5. Rental: Non-Profit, Apartments, Secondary Suites

BC Non-Profit Housing Association
The association for non-profit rental housing providers of BC has news, forums, education, member & supplier directories, conferences, newsletter, publications, and best practices.

Bad Design Of Non-Profit Housing (PDF FILE)
In Building Envelope Forum, a couple of owners explain their view of design issues around construction of buildings owned and managed by a non-profit housing corporation.

BC Apartment Owners & Managers Association
This association of the rental apartment industry gives advice, information, education, tenancy agreements, credit checks, vacancy advertising, networking, and links to more resources.

Policies For Permitting Secondary Suites
CMHC offers this report that describes secondary suite policies, how the strategy works, advantages & issues, effectiveness, sources of information, and case studies.

6. Big Buildings: Design, Light Commercial, Associations

Whole Building Design Guide
The WBDG site for large buildings has very good information on design guidance, products & systems, cases studies, project management, publications, and links to more info.

How-To Manual For Light Commercial Building
To help residential builders diversifying into light commercial construction, this NAHB manual explains types of buildings, methods of contracting, materials, licensing, codes and more.

BC Construction Association
BCCA has information on accreditation, bid depository, green buildings, events, jobs, news, policies, reports & publications, standard documents, planroom, directory, and industry links.

Independent Contractors & Businesses Association
ICBA of BC represents of the open shop construction industry, and offers information, announcements, events, courses, newsletters, COR training for WCB, and links to more info.

Building Owners & Managers Association of BC
BOMA provides the ICI sector with news, events, awards, publications, education, and resources for careers, green building, emergency preparedness, and industry links.

7. More: Heritage, Traditional, Skyscraper, Historical Stats

BC Heritage Branch
Our provincial government gives you heritage building and property information, and resources on heritage conservation, planning, education, historic places, properties, and more.

Traditional Buildings
Restore Media links to their magazines Old House Journal, Traditional Building, Period Homes, Traditional Products, and New Old House, as well as directories, shows and exchange.

Skyscrapers
Building Big is a popular PBS TV program and their site on skyscrapers has information on the basics, design, big building examples, and a directory of links to more resources.

Historical Stats Of Canadian Construction & Housing
If you ever wonder what our industry was like 30 to 80 years ago, check out these historical statistics on a wide range of construction topics, many from 1926, from Stats Canada.

8. Ken’s Top Pick: The Great Buildings Site

Timeline Of Great Buildings
If you are into the history of building, or just want to check out some cool structures, take some time out and surf the Great Buildings site, displaying great buildings from -3000 to 2004.

Dittie For Today: On Character

I would rather be the man who bought the Brooklyn Bridge than the man who sold it. 
    - Will Rogers