Research Thrust Areas

Research into many aspects related to residential construction is at the core of the PHRC Mission and Goals. New ideas, processes, and technologies related to residential construction are developed, evaluated, and shared by the PHRC at the local, state, and national levels. While the PHRC welcomes new research topics related to housing and residential construction, the organization's current major research thrust areas can be summarized as follows:

• Building Science and Building Enclosures
• Modular and Panelized Construction
• Multi-Hazard Resistant Residential Buildings
• Sustainable Construction Materials, Systems, and Methods

Each of these research thrust areas is critical to advancing state-of-the-art materials and methods in residential construction. Encompassing a wide variety of topics—ranging from building science, energy efficiency, evaluation of building systems for natural hazards resistance, development of sustainable materials and systems, and modular construction, as well as emerging construction methods for single-family and multi-family dwelling units—the PHRC’s  research thrust areas complement each other to provide a holistic approach to addressing the unique design and construction issues of residential construction.