CMHC's Best Practice Guides

A one-stop resource for building professionals

Whether it's improving the durability of building envelopes, reducing the risk of construction failures, or making more informed design decisions, CMHC's series of Best Practice Guides on building technology offer user-friendly, detailed information based on sound research and practical experience.

Produced by CMHC's Innovation Centre for Highrise and Multiples, these guides provide clear, cost-effective recommendations for architects, contractors, engineers, developers and other building professionals. They include a CD-ROM which enables users to download CAD drawings in DWG and DXF formats to adapt them for their own use. Specification files save building designers time and money, allowing them to prepare construction documents quickly and with the level of detail needed to ensure that designs are built to quality standards.

Available now

• Glass and Metal Curtain Walls
• Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems
• Fire and Sound Control in Wood Frame, Multi-family Buildings
• Architectural Precast Concrete: Walls and Structure — Revised
• Brick Veneer Steel Stud
• Brick Veneer Concrete Masonry Unit Backing
• Flashings
• Wood Frame Envelopes
• Wood-Frame Envelopes in the Coastal Climate of British Columbia
  

Guide format and features

• binder with CD-ROM compatible with CAD programs (AutoCAD and DXF file formats);
• metric and imperial measurements;
• wall details and explanations; and
• specifications.

To order

All Best Practice Guides are available in French or English for CAN $89.00 each plus GST and shipping. Please visit the CMHC Order Desk.

• Housing Technology Discussion Forum