Member organizations conduct housing research, publish papers, and participate in outreach activities. Find out more about current research activities by the National Consortium of Housing Research Centers.
Housing Research Institute
Del E. Webb School of Construction
Arizona State University
Research projects included Benchmarking Current Practices, Implementation of Lean Thinking Concepts, Application of Supply Chain Management Principles to Develop Strategic Purchasing Decisions, Arizona’s Building Code Compliance Coalition, Pervasive Production Space: An Innovative Information Technology Framework for Homebuilding, and the International Cooperative Research: Investigation of Lightweight Materials and Constructability Techniques in Cost-Effective Housing in India and the USA. Educational outreach included a Residential Construction Management Certificate Program, Lateral Bracing Seminar, and a Safety Certificate Program.
University of Florida
Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing
Noteworthy projects for 2007 included:
- Teaming with the College of Engineering, the IFAS Program for Resource Efficient Communities to develop a program for producing a Home Structure Rating System (HSRS) that can be used state wide.
- Florida Housing Data Clearinghouse
- Affordable Housing Site Selection Modeling
- Proposal to provide analytical services relating to property taxation in Florida as requested by the Florida Legislature's Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR).
University of Central Florida
Housing Constructability Lab
Publications included:
- Mass Customization Strategies and Their Relationship to Lean Production in the Homebuilding Industry
- Innovation in the U.S. Industrialized Housing Industry: A Tale of Two Strategies
- Factory Produced Housing in America
With the retirement of Dr. Mullens, UCF is closing the Lab and redirecting research resources to other areas.
2007 Annual Report (PDF/292KB)
University of Georgia
Department of Housing and Consumer Economics
The University of Georgia (UGA) Housing and Demographics Research Center (HDRC) is located within the Department of Housing and Consumer Economics (HACE) in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS). Numerous publications, projects, and outreach activities were completed in 2007. Some highlights include:
- Carswell, A.T., & Bachtel, D.C. (2007, March 23). What we know about mortgage fraud and its community implications. Paper presented at the Georgia Association of Family & Consumer Sciences Conference, St. Simons Island, GA.
- James, R.N. III and Atiles, J.H. (2007, October 23-26). Hispanic Renters and the Transition to Homeownership in the Survey of Consumer Finance. [Oral Presentation]. Proceedings of the 2007 Annual Conference of the Housing Education and Research Association. Housing Education and Research Association (HERA) Annual Conference. Charlotte, NC.
- Mimura, Y., Eaves, C.P., & Sweaney, A.L. (2007). Assessing the pride of owning manufactured housing among young adults [Abstract]. In Laquatra, J. (Ed.). 2007 Annual Housing Education and Research Association Conference Proceedings. Pp. 144-148.
- Atiles, J.H. Radon Education Program. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Pollution Prevention Assistance Division. 10/01/06 - 09/30/07.
- Atiles, J.H. Natural Gas Education. Georgia Public Service Commission & Atlanta Gas Light. 11/01/06 - 04/30/07.
- Atiles, J.H. and Turner, P.R. Eliminating Lead Poisoning in Underserved Rural Communities in the United States. National Center for Healthy Housing.
2007 Annual Report (PDF/48KB)
State Farm Insurance Companies
Strategic Resources Department, Building Technology Research Unit
State Farm pursued research in the following areas:
- Water Loss Mitigation Testing
- Hail Mitigation
- Roofing Material Study
- Seismic Research
- Wind Mitigation
- Building Code Review
State Farm contributed funding to Illinois State University Department of Technology for its residential construction waste recycling project. They continued funding of Texas Tech University's new smaller portable wind tower program. They contributed to a wind research effort through the University of Florida.
2007 Annual Report (PDF/536KB)
Purdue University
Housing Research Center
A Center of Re-Construction is in the process of being established. On a broad basis the Center will work in the areas building rehabilitation as the result of disaster or natural deterioration.
Several reports and publications were published, including A Decision Support System for Manufactured Housing Facility Layout, Optimization Model for Manufactured Housing Production Systems, Impact of Manufactured Housing Component Assembly Redesign on Facility Layout and Production Process, and Manufacturer-Retailer Relationship Modeling and Optimization for the Manufactured Housing Industry.
2007 Annual Report (PDF/455KB)
Ball State University Building Futures Institute
A three-year study on the Conversion of Office Buildings for Residential Use concluded in 2004. Research was also conducted on SHELL/INFILL Townhouses for up-scale markets, and Mass Customization and Configuration software.
2004 Annual Report (PDF/85KB)
NAHB Research Center, Inc.
Many research projects initiatives were conducted in 2007, including:
- NAHB’s Green Building Program
- Disaster Relief Housing Alternatives
- Builders' Expectations for Manufacturers in Soft Housing Market
- Ductless Heat Pump Market Research and Analysis
- Study of Corrugated Stainless Steel Fuel Gas Tubing
- Design Guide for Residential PEX Water Supply Plumbing Systems
2007 Annual Report (PDF/33KB)
Michigan State University
Housing Education and Research Center (HERC)
The Housing Education and Research Center worked on several research projects and reports, including:
- Manufactured Housing Production Process Analysis and Facility Layout, 2002-06
- Impact of LEED projects on CM Practices, 2006-07
- Green Building Guidelines in the U.S. and India
- Sustainable Planning, Design and Construction: Value Added Impact on Built Environment Industries
- An Analysis of the MSU Construction Standards in the context of LEED
- Executive Training Program for professionals from Korean National Housing Corporation (KNHC) and Korean Land Corporation (KLC)
2007 Annual Report (PDF/29KB)
University of Minnesota
Several research initiatives were supported in 2006, including:
- Moisture Impacts of Radon Resistant New Construction (MN Department of Health)
- Affordable Housing Initiatives (HUD Community Outreach Partnership Center)
- Coalition for Advanced Housing and Forest Products Research (U.S. Forest Products Laboratory)
- Advanced Energy Efficient Roof Systems (U.S. Department of Energy)
2006 Annual Report (PDF/36KB)
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Housing Research Center
- UNLV presented several educational outreach seminars in conjunction with UNLV Lied Institute and Southern
- Nevada Home Builder’s Association
- Faculty were involved in several research projects geared towards residential construction in Nevada including consulting for two zero-energy houses
- Spoke to several groups on construction defect issues in the residential construction area
2006 Annual Report (PDF/13KB)
Cornell University
Housing Research and Education Program
Publications and presentations for 2007 included:
- Laquatra, J.; R. Pendall; D.L. Kay; J.F. Suter; N. Bills (2007). The changing nature of housing markets in Upstate New York. Housing and Society, 34(1): 65-75.
- Laquatra, J. (2007). Healthy Homes: Assessing Your Indoor Environment. (English and Spanish). Ithaca: Cayuga Press.
- Laquatra, J. and C. Reichel (2007). Hiring a Mold Remediation Contractor. Cornell University Cooperative Extension.
- Laquatra, J. An introduction to green buildings. New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, January 24, 2007, New York City.
- Laquatra, J. Reducing asthma triggers and lead poisoning hazards in the home. Los Angeles Department of Health, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Healthy Homes for Healthy Kids Campaign, January 29-30, 2007, Los Angeles.
- Laquatra, J. (panel member). Sustainability Summit. Cornell Cooperative Extension, February 12, 2007, Ithaca.
2007 Annual Report (PDF/31KB)
Pennsylvania Housing Research Center, Department of Civil Engineering
Pennsylvania State University
Developmental Activities included:
- Land Development Consortium
- Standards for the Relocation of Manufactured Housing
- Subdivision Design Guidelines
Applied Research Activities were conducted in the following areas:
- Insulated Concrete Masonry Below-grade Walls
- Comparison of Lateral Load Performance of Wood Stud and Steel Stud Partition Walls
- Simplified Analysis of Light-Frame Wood Buildings under Wind Loads
2007 Annual Report (PDF/1277KB)
Texas A&M University
College of Architecture
Housing research projects for 2007 included:
- Mold Susceptibility of Rapidly Renewable Materials Used in Wall Construction
- 2007 Solar Decathlon in Washington, DC by the U.S. Department of Energy
- Conserving Energy with Green Roof Technology
- Wall Materials Selection for IAQ and Moisture Control
- Recommendaitons for 15% Above Code Energy Efficiencyc Measures for Single-family Residences
- Regional Plan and Design to Rebuild a Sustainable Louisiana Gulf Coast
2007 Annual Report (PDF/53KB)
Virginia Technical Institute
Center for Housing Research
Virgina Tech had several significant accomplishments, including:
- Continued work on two NSF grants for research on modeling adoption and diffusion of innovations in residential construction and research on the commercialization of innovative products in the residential construction market
- Under a HUD contract, research was conducted on the impact of zoning restrictions on the placement of manufactured housing, work continued on Industrializing the Construction Site (Phase V, Virtual Manufacturing), work was completed on populating a whole house calculator, and a project was completed on environmental regulations as barriers to affordable housing.
- The Center completed its administration of a fourth (each spanning two years) Community Development Work Study Program (CDWS) funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Community Development.
- The Center continued to provide on-going research support for state and local housing organizations.
2007 Annual Report (PDF/35KB)