The Center for Building is a non-profit that conducts research on building codes and advocates for reform in North America.

Our Mission

Cities in North America need to get back to building housing, but our construction industry has a problem. Apartment buildings are expensive to build, and expensive to maintain. Our codes are oriented towards sprawling single-family houses and luxury apartments for singles and childless couples, and little in between. Our apartment buildings are inefficient, in cost, energy, and layouts. Family-friendly apartments are unaffordable to families, and the United States has a higher rate of building fire deaths than almost any other country in the developed world. There are no economies of vertical scale in construction in the U.S. and Canada, in contrast to other countries. North America takes a unique approach to regulating construction, and it’s not working. It’s time to learn from the rest of the world, and find out what works.