PHRC Mission and Goals
Our Mission
The PHRC collaboratively engages with the residential construction industry to catalyze advancements in homebuilding through education, training, innovation, research, and dissemination.
The Pennsylvania Housing Research Center (PHRC) provides and facilitates education, training, innovation, research, and dissemination to the residential construction industry for the purpose of improving the quality and affordability of housing. Educational programs and publications by the PHRC address a wide range of topics relevant to the home building industry and are designed to reach a diverse audience: builders, code officials, remodelers, architects, developers, engineers, planners, landscape architects, local government officials, educators, etc. to provide professional development and continuing education. The PHRC is administered through the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Penn State University.
Our Vision
A residential construction industry equipped with the knowledge, skills, and technology to build better homes.
PHRC Goals
The broader goals of the PHRC are:
- To be a recognized center of competence for housing-related training, technology transfer, education, research, development, and demonstration,
- To be a valued resource for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as well as the building industry and design professionals in Pennsylvania,
- To focus on all technical aspects of housing, with emphasis on:
- residential land use, site development and subdivision design;
- the building enclosure (walls, roofs, windows, etc.);
- structural systems;
- service systems (heating, ventilation, air conditioning, etc.);
- construction materials and methods;
- the overall delivery process;
- componentization and industrialization; and
- computer-related developments.
- To promote the following building and construction attributes:
- quality,
- affordability,
- energy efficiency,
- accessibility,
- sustainability,
- durability.
