Canadian Home Builders' Association : Since 1943, the Canadian Home Builders' Association (CHBA) has been "the voice of Canada's residential construction industry." At that time, it was entitled the National House Builders Association (NHBA).
The need to create a single voice for the fragmented house construction industry arose in the 1940s. While there had been builders' associations in some cities, such local bodies did not enjoy the influence that a national institution could expect. When it was created, the aim was to promote co-operation among builders, ensure higher standards in home building, and keep an eye on government legislation affecting residential construction. In part, it hoped to pre-empt government regulation of house construction by raising standards and self-policing of the industry.
From the late 1950s through the 1970s, there was a high degree of co-operation between the CHBA, the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), National Research Council's Division of Building Research (DBR), and other private agencies, such as the Forest Products Laboratories. This co-operation also extended to the private sector, especially through the National House Builders' Association. It played a significant role in establishing links between private builders and public agencies, like CMHC and DBR. These three organizations co-operated on a number of research projects.
One highly influential section of the CHBA was the Technical Research Committee (TRC) to explore innovative methods of building, to solve technical building problems.
In 1957, the NHBA built a model house to demonstrate cost-saving building techniques. This was the first of what became the Mark series of houses. Both CMHC and DBR were actively involved in the project, demonstrating a positive interaction among public and private agencies concerned with housing.
The NHBA hired Sam Gitterman as Technical Director in 1959. The objective was "to mesh more closely the research activities of the NHBA, manufacturers, and government organizations" in cases where they related to lowering costs of construction and using and developing new building materials and techniques. Between 1959 and 1963 Gitterman was responsible for the construction of NHBA's Mk III and IV model houses in Ottawa which included many experimental features.
Today, CHBA is one association working at three levels - nationally, provincially and locally. At the national level, the system of Committees' and Councils brings together builders and industry experts from across the country to share information and ideas, and to formulate recommendations to governments to improve the quality and affordability of homes for Canadians.
The association has represented one of the largest industry sectors in Canada, and their membership is made up of over 8,500 companies - including home builders, renovators, land developers, trade contractors, product and material manufacturers, building product suppliers, lending institutions, insurance providers, and service professionals.
The CHBA deals with various issues, such as building codes, the need for more skilled workers, the impact of government-imposed costs on homebuyers and homeowners, and the importance of consumer education.
The Association is comprised of the following eight Standing Committees and Councils: Board of Directors, Canadian Renovators Council, Executive Committee, Executive Officer's Council, Manufacturer's Council, National Marketing Committee, Net Zero Housing Energy Council, Professional Development Committee, Technical Research Committee, and the Urban Council.
Canadian Manufactured Housing Institute : The Canadian Manufactured Housing Institute (CMHI) was the voice of the manufactured building industry in Canada from 1953-2016. CMHI brought manufactured building producers, retailers, realtors, suppliers, community managers and others together to achieve a common goal: to provide excellent design in buildings. The members worked together on a wide range of activities:
¿ codes and standards development
¿ industry networking and communication
¿ industry education and training
¿ consumer information initiatives
¿ research and innovation projects
¿ regulatory reform
¿ representations to government
¿ export research and promotion
The CMHI worked with a wide range of public- and private-sector partners to ensure that the specific interests of the manufactured building industry are addressed at a national level. Through their affiliation with regional manufactured building associations, they provided support on issues of a provincial, territorial or local nature.
As of the beginning of 2017, the CMHI ceased to exist and its activities were merged into the CHBA
Gitterman, Sam : Sam Gitterman graduated with a B.A. in 1935 after winning numerous prizes in architecture. After working for several architectural firms, he became an architect for the Dept. of National Defense in 1937. Two years later Gitterman became an architect for the National Housing Administration, where he assisted in the development of prefabricated housing. In 1943, Gitterman was appointed director of its Town Planning Division. In 1946, he transferred to CMHC, where he was Chief Architect and Planner, 1946-1954. Much of his work consisted of large scale government housing projects, low cost single family units, ways to improve house construction methods and town planning for new subdivisions.
In 1959, Gitterman returned to private practice in Ottawa. He designed apartment buildings, houses, offices and stores. He was active in laying out several subdivisions and town sites. He was also Technical Director of the National House Builders Association and oversaw the construction of two experimental houses. In 1965, Gitterman became Senior Advisor on Technology to the President of CMHC. He was also a member of numerous committees involved in residential construction.
