Most building types can be readily researched in books and magazines. Because of the large worldwide production and very dynamic nature of housing construction, however, it is very difficult to track new developments in housing design. Books quickly obsolesce and few libraries have the resources to even subscribe to the range of periodicals necessary to track new developments. The advantage of web-based material is that it offers a dynamic database accessible by anyone with a computer. It can be periodically revised and thus allows the researcher to continually update their knowledge about a particular subject. HousingPrototypes.org was conceived to fill the need for a dynamic, interactive database about housing. It provides the research instrument to monitor research about historic and new developments in the field of international multi-family housing. The current phase of construction provides data on an international selection of both new and old housing projects of the past century or so. New case studies will be frequently and continually added. As the site evolves and grows, we expect to add other features and on-line resources. Links to other housing sites, research resources and references, new case studies, photo archives, architect files, country and city historic period files, building and apartment typology studies, housing construction technology, sample academic materials—course syllabi and resources--and a Housing Store, are all planned features. Stay tuned and watch us grow!

HousingPrototypes.org is published free on the Internet as an information service. Special thanks are due to the University of Southern California program for Urban Initiatives Technology, Society and Space Programming for funding a mini-grant proposal and to the Center For Scholarly Technology of the University of Southern California Information Services Division for all their support in the creation and development of this web site. Skip Eastman offered continual technical support, Robert Doiel did the Zope Programming and Dan Heller designed the web pages.