Most of these sites allow you to search or browse by both product category and CSI MasterFormat number.   Most sites feature suppliers and manufacturers from across North America.  Sites supply links to manufacturer's websites.  In the case of SWEETS, spec and data sheets are often available for download.

The following links highlight green building products in the North American market.  Sites allow for product searches and browsing by LEED or MasterFormat categories.

There are several good sites to help you locate green building projects in Toronto, Ontario, and Canada.

• The CaGBC -  LEED Project Profiles is a searchable list of green projects.
• The Canada Green Building Council has an interactive map of LEED Certified Green Building Projects in Ontario.  You can focus on projects in the GTA area.  
• The Canada Green Buiding Council lists Case Studies by building type.
• The City of Toronto has a list of  Project Profiles that have met the requirements of the Toronto Green Standard.
• The Toronto Atmospheric Fund offers a number of case studies of multi-unit retrofits from the Tower Wise project.

• Case studies from SAB Magazine and the Green Building Council feature green building projects from around the city. 

• BlogTO's list of the Best Green Buildings in Toronto
• SABMagazine's website lists the winners of the Canada Green Building Award and provides a description of the project.

• Energy efficiency building envelope retrofits [electronic resource]: exterior retrofit for 1960s and 1970s two-storey houses, 10% or 25% space heating energy savings.
• Energy efficiency building envelope retrofits [electronic resource]: exterior retrofit for 1960s and 1970s two-storey houses, >75% space heating energy savings.
• Energy efficiency building envelope retrofits [electronic resource]: interior retrofit for 1960s and 1970s two-storey houses, >75% space heating energy savings.
• Energy efficiency building envelope retrofits [electronic resource]: interior retrofit for 1960s and 1970s two-storey houses, 10% to 25% space heating energy savings.

Bungalows

• Energy efficiency building envelope retrofits for houses [electronic resource]: exterior retrofit for 1960s and 1970s raised bungalow, 10% or 25% space heating energy savings.
• Energy efficiency building envelope retrofits for houses [electronic resource]: exterior retrofit for 1960s and 1970s one-storey raised bungalow, >75% space heating energy savings.
• Energy efficiency building envelope retrofits for houses [electronic resource]: interior retrofit for 1960s and 1970s raised bungalow, 10% or 25% space heating energy savings.
• Energy efficiency building envelope retrofits for houses : interior retrofit for 1960s and 1970s one-storey raised bungalow, >75% space heating energy savings.

Researching a Contemporary Building or Architect

Getting Started

• The Great Buildings Collection, Dezeen and ArchDaily are good resources for the basics on buildings and architectural practices (e.g. architect/firm, location, year built). You can also check our online and print architectural atlas.  For buildings in Toronto try the TOBuilt website.  You will need this basic information on your building to start your research.

Articles and Books

Start with the GBC Library's journal and book collection.  The library has newspapers, magazines, and journals with information on Canadian and international buildings.  We also have an extensive book collection which may feature books on your architect/firm or your building.

 Articles: 

Tip: These are especially helpful for finding information (including drawings) on contemporary buildings.

EXAMPLE:  Herning Museum of Contemporary Art (HEART) -  Steven Holl

Photo: Herning Museum of Contemporary Art (HEART) (2013) By Iwan Baan - http://www.klatmagazine.com/art/jesper-just-heart-necessary-133/8071 - CC BY-SA 3.0 - Wikimedia Commons

Try searching on all aspects of the building, including:

• The current and former name(s) of the building  (e.g. Herning Museum of Contemporary Art OR HEART museum)
• Combine the architect and building name for more targeted searching: 
  • Steven Holl AND (Herning Museum of Contemporary Art OR HEART)
• The location of the building (e.g., Herning AND Steven Holl)
• The architect or firm that did restoration work on the building
• The architect's/firm's name to research additional projects or biographical information (e.g. Steven Holl)

• Start at the Library Learning Commons website and enter your search.
• Go to EBSCO Search. This will allow you to simultaneously search a number of databases including  Art and Architecture Source.
• Finally search Art and Architecture Archive for earlier journal coverage.

El Croquis journal collection

Search the El Croquis Journal collection for a contemporary building or an architect/practice.  Each issue is dedicated to an architect or practice. The journal provides biographical information on the architect or practice, interviews with the architect(s), and profiles of major projects.  You can browse the collection or search for a specific building within the collection in the main database (see sample search below).

• Search El Croquis in  Art and Architecture Complete  using the source field.
• Include the building name and/or the architect's name

• Note the Issue number and page numbers before going to the publisher's site via the Get It (Full Text Finder) link.

Canadian Buildings

EXAMPLE:  Muskoka Boathouse - Shim Sutcliffe

Images:  Muskoka Boathouse by Shim Sutcliffe.  Retrieved from LUNA https://images.lib.ncsu.edu/luna/servlet/view/search;JSESSIONID=dc369097-3b55-4c5d-8920-e584cb0e3fd8?search=SUBMIT&cat=0&q=muskoka+boathouse&dateRangeStart=&dateRangeEnd=&QuickSearchA=QuickSearchA

For Canadian buildings, after you have searched in our main database (see above), be sure to also search our databases that have a Canadian focus using Canadian Sources +  to search the databases listed below.

• CBCA Complete (Canadian Business and Current Affairs)
  • It contains Canadian history and architecture journals.
• Canadian Major Dailies
  • Newspapers from across Canada
  •  
• Use the same search strategy you used in the main database:
  • The current and former name(s) of the building  (e.g. Muskoka Boathouse OR Point William Boathouse)
  • Combine the architect and building name for more targeted searching: 
    • Shim Sutcliffe AND (Muskoka Boathouse OR Point William Boathouse)
  • The location of the building and the architect (e.g., Muskoka AND Shim Sutcliffe)
  • The architect's/firm's name to research additional projects or biographical information (e.g. Shim Sutcliffe)

Books and Videos: 

Tip: Books and videos can be especially helpful for older buildings where journal coverage in our collection may not be available.

EXAMPLE: Seagram Building - Mies van der Rohe

Seagram's Building in New York City was built in 1958. Photography. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.
quest-eb-com.gbcprx01.georgebrown.ca/search/300_3374853/1/300_3374853/cite. Accessed 14 Sep 2022.

Use the library's main search box but keep your search more general.  Try:

• architect's/architectural firm's name (e.g. Mies van der Rohe)
• building name (e.g. Seagram Building)
• type of architecture (e.g. skyscraper AND architecture)
• location of the building (New York City AND architecture)
• era of building (e.g. midcentury-modern architecture)
• Limit your search to books or videos

Biographical Information for Architects

• Oxford Dictionary of Architecture through Oxford Reference Online

Beyond Our Collection - E-books and Journals

• Search the architect's/firm's website.  Does the building have a website? Look for awards or references to articles and books.

Internet Archive

• Search the Internet Archive for books, journal articles and videos on your building or architect.  You must create a free account to borrow material at Sign up for an account.

Architecture Magazine Library (from USModernist.org)

•  Free access to USModernist's digital collection of major US 20th-century architecture magazines. (e.g. The Seagram Building from Architectural Record, July, 1958)

TPL: Toronto Public Library

• All George Brown College students are eligible to apply for a Toronto Public Library Card.  This allows you to use the TPL databases and to check out books.  The main Reference Library at Yonge and Bloor has an excellent architecture collection.  They have a number of print journals that pre-date our print collection and a large architecture book collection.  They also offer access to a number of online journals through Flipster, Press Reader and Overdrive. The JSTOR  database may have journal articles for older buildings.

RIBA: Royal Institute of British Architects Library

• Search the RIBA catalogue for references to your building that may not come up in your initial search. Some of these resources may be available in our collection.  Most of these books and journals can be found at the Toronto Public Library.

Google Books

• Use Google Books to search through the full-text of books for references to your building.  The book may not be available for viewing so check the Search Everything to see if we have the book in our collection.  You can also search the Internet Archives for an e-book copy.  

Drawings

• Journal articles and books often have drawings of the buildings.
• Artstor Database through the George Brown Library.
• Archives of Ontario  
• Toronto Public Library (limit to image files)
• Canadian Architectural Archives (University of Calgary)
• Canadian Architecture Collection (McGill) 
• The Great Buildings Collection has basic information but also a good bibliography on featured buildings. 
• ArchDaily features project files on buildings
• Architect Magazine Project Gallery
• Dezeen
• Architectural Record: Record Houses  Record Houses from 2006 to present. Includes index to Record Houses from 2001-2005.
• Building website (e.g. Hollyhock House)
• Architect/Firm's website
• National archives and/or national architectural associations (e.g. consider city or state/provincial archives as well)

Always Cite Your Sources - APA Citation Style

One of the most important aspects of any research project is making sure you are properly citing the sources your information came from. Most courses at George Brown College require students to use APA citation style, but please check with your instructor to ensure you are using the correct citation style.

The George Brown Library has a number of guides and handouts that will help you make sure you are using the APA style correctly. The Library also has an extensive list of examples and how-to instructions for a variety of source types.

And, remember, if you are unsure of how to cite something or need help finding something on the library website, just ask go ask a library at the reference desk or get in touch with the library for help.

This online tutorial from lynda.com shows you how to use Word to cite your sources.