Best Practices in Building Systems (BPiBS): An Interdisciplinary Roadmap for Sustainable, Healthy, and Inclusive Housing - V1

Title
Best Practices in Building Systems (BPiBS): An Interdisciplinary Roadmap for Sustainable, Healthy, and Inclusive Housing - V1
Abstract
The white paper on Best Practices in Building Systems (BPiBS) offers a multidisciplinary, systems-oriented approach to tackle the structural issues in Canada's housing. In response to the national shortage of housing and the growing challenges posed by climate change, affordability issues, and disparities in equity, the paper suggests a "living roadmap" that combines affordability, resilience, health, and social inclusion into fundamental building design, governance, and policy frameworks. It points out that existing methods are hampered by fragmentation within regulatory, financial, educational, and industry systems, resulting in an "integrity gap" between policy intentions and actual outcomes.

To bridge this gap, BPiBS introduces a tri-sector alignment model that aligns regulatory and governance frameworks, industry practices, and educational institutions to promote a cohesive system-wide transformation. The proposed framework stresses the importance of incorporating performance-based regulations, innovative construction techniques, improving systems literacy through professional educational pathways, and collaboration among stakeholders. To support this transformation, the BPiBS initiative shows a digital knowledge infrastructure that includes for New Directions and Designs (KIND) and Collaborative Intelligence Vision (CIV), which merge structured ontologies, data integration, and AI-enhanced tools to improve evidence-based decision-making and collaboration across sectors.

Key insights reveal that relying on technological solutions alone is not enough to produce desired results; meaningful change necessitates institutional coordination, lifecycle-based assessments, and context-aware strategies that cater to urban, rural, remote, and Indigenous housing contexts. Future stages of BPiBS will broaden collaborations with national organizations, deepen Indigenous involvement, and advance pilot-based testing to refine the practical application capabilities of the roadmap. All together, this framework establishes BPiBS as a national platform for a unified, fair, and evidence-driven transformation of the housing system.
Contributor
R. Kumar, A. Dekin, M. Prince, E. Girgis, T. Froese, P. Mukhopadhyaya, W. Leung
Date Submitted
2026/03/16
Format
PDF
Type
Text
Extent
55 pages
Language
en-CA
Identifier
37
Date
2026/03/16 Draft