On Friday, April 11, 2025, the BPiBS project team participated in the insightful and dynamic event “Breaking Silos: The Building Code & Digital Integration” held at Microsoft Vancouver. The event, organized by DIGITAL, provided an exceptional platform for discussing housing challenges, digital innovation, and cross-sector collaboration.

Representing our BPiBS team were Wilma Leung, BPiBS Senior Manager, Technical Research & Education at BC Housing, Madelaine Prince, BPiBS Futures Impact Designer at the University of Victoria, and Alex Dekin, BPiBS Digital Innovation Specialist, also at the University of Victoria.

The event kicked off with opening remarks by Sue Paish, CEO of DIGITAL, followed by compelling presentations from Amy Vilis, Director of the Housing Growth Innovation Program at DIGITAL, and Nicole Vukosavljevic, Director of Digital Delivery at the BC Ministry of Housing. A joint presentation by DIGITAL and the City of Vancouver added further depth, emphasizing collaboration between government entities and digital innovators.

A highlight of the day was the panel discussion titled “Connecting the Dots: Collaboration, Technology, and Data in Housing Delivery,” which explored essential intersections between government layers, digital infrastructure, and data management systems.

In the afternoon, participants engaged in an interactive workshop, “Integrating Digital Opportunities into the End-to-End Housing Production Framework,” where our team contributed actively to co-designing practical outcomes and innovative solutions. This workshop-oriented format significantly enriched the discussions.

The event concluded with a fruitful panel, “Bringing It All Together: Real Talk on Housing, Tech, and Collaboration,” linking workshop outputs to concrete next steps. Additionally, the networking opportunities during the day allowed our team members to build meaningful connections with high-level participants and stakeholders, including representatives from the Ministry of Housing BC.

We thank the DIGITAL team and all participants for an extraordinary day of learning, collaboration, and networking. Events like these are vital for fostering innovation and cross-sector collaboration in addressing housing challenges.