CHING

A short overview of Francis D.K. Ching's Building Construction Illustrated and why it matters for the ExAC.

On this page

CHING at a glance

The fast facts an Intern Architect can scan before opening the book for the first time.

Full titleBuilding Construction Illustrated
AuthorFrancis D.K. Ching, with code-related content commonly contributed by a co-author
PublisherJohn Wiley & Sons (Wiley)
Current edition tested7th Edition (commonly cited as the 2020 release). Examitect's ExAC study plan cites page ranges from the 7th Edition throughout.
Earlier editions1st through 6th Editions exist; earlier editions cover similar material but the study plan's page numbers will not align.
LanguagesEnglish (translations exist; the ExAC reading is the English edition)
Primary audienceArchitecture and construction students, intern architects, practising architects, and anyone learning how buildings are assembled
ExAC relevanceListed as a primary resource on Examitect's ExAC study plan for most categories in Section 1 and Section 3. Not primary for Section 2 (NBC/NECB) or Section 4 (CHOP/CCDC/RAIC).
Where to accessThrough Wiley, major bookstores, and most architecture school libraries. Check with your firm; many offices keep a shared copy.

Why CHING matters for the ExAC

CHING is the visual spine of the ExAC reading list. Examitect's ExAC study plan lists Building Construction Illustrated (7th Edition) as a primary resource for almost every Section 1 category outside of programming, and for almost every Section 3 category outside the few that lean purely on CHOP. When a question asks how a wall is built, how a slab on grade handles moisture, or what controls the difference between a curtain wall and a window wall, the answer almost always traces back to a CHING chapter.

The book also teaches you to read assembly diagrams under pressure. ExAC questions in Sections 1 and 3 often include cropped drawings, callouts, or material lists, and candidates who have spent time inside CHING recognize the patterns immediately. Reading CHING closely is one of the highest-yield study activities for those two sections.

If you only had time to study one assemblies-and-building-science reference before the ExAC, CHING would be it.

ExAC sections CHING supports

Section 1
Section 3

What Building Construction Illustrated is

Building Construction Illustrated is a visual reference that explains how buildings are put together, from the site work and foundations through to the finishes and the mechanical and electrical systems that thread through them. Almost every page is a hand-drawn diagram annotated with short, precise notes. The book is widely used in North American architecture schools and remains a fixture on intern architect desks because it shows assembly logic, not just terminology.

The 7th Edition keeps that same structure across twelve chapters and an appendix. It is not a code book, not a contracts reference, and not a cost guide. It is the diagram you reach for when you want to understand how a wall keeps water out, how a foundation handles frost, or how a roof drains.

Inside CHING, twelve chapters and an appendix

The 7th Edition is organized into twelve chapters and a reference appendix. The chapter titles below follow the standard 7th Edition structure; if you have the book open, your headings should match.

ChapterWhat it coversWhere it lands on the ExAC
Chapter 1
The Building Site		 Siting, soil, topography, vegetation, solar geometry, microclimate, and how the site shapes building form. Section 1 (Site & Environmental Analysis, Schematic Design, Cost Management); Section 3 (Sustainable Design Literacy).
Chapter 2
The Building		 Whole-building concepts: structure, envelope, systems, life safety, accessibility, and how the parts coordinate. Section 1 (Engineering Systems, Schematic Design); Section 3 (Document Coordination and Code Compliance).
Chapter 3
Foundation Systems		 Shallow and deep foundations, footings, frost protection, basement walls, slabs on grade, and waterproofing. Section 1 (Design Development); Section 3 (Building Science, Assemblies & Detailing).
Chapter 4
Floor Systems		 Wood, steel, and concrete floor framing, decks, openings, vibration, and span considerations. Section 1 (Design Development); Section 3 (Building Science, Assemblies & Detailing).
Chapter 5
Wall Systems		 Bearing walls, partitions, curtain walls, cladding, wood and steel framing, and masonry. Section 1 (Design Development); Section 3 (Building Science, Assemblies & Detailing).
Chapter 6
Roof Systems		 Roof framing, slopes, drainage, low- and steep-slope roof assemblies, insulation, and edge details. Section 1 (Design Development); Section 3 (Building Science, Assemblies & Detailing).
Chapter 7
Moisture and Thermal Protection		 Air, water, vapour, and thermal control. Rainscreen principles, vapour retarders, insulation strategies, and continuity of the envelope. Section 1 (Design Development); Section 3 (Building Science, Assemblies & Detailing).
Chapter 8
Doors and Windows		 Door and window types, framing, glazing, hardware, and the flashing details that integrate openings into the envelope. Section 1 (Design Development); Section 3 (Building Science, Assemblies & Detailing).
Chapter 9
Special Construction		 Stairs, elevators, fireplaces, and other specialty assemblies that recur across building types. Section 1 (Engineering Systems).
Chapter 10
Finish Work		 Interior finishes: floors, walls, ceilings, and the criteria that drive selection (durability, acoustics, fire, maintenance). Section 3 (Materials & Construction Fundamentals, Assemblies & Detailing).
Chapter 11
Mechanical and Electrical Systems		 HVAC, plumbing, electrical, lighting, fire protection, and how these systems are coordinated with the architecture. Section 1 (Coordinating Engineering Systems).
Chapter 12
Notes on Materials		 Properties of common construction materials and the environmental considerations behind material choices. Section 1 (Cost Management); Section 3 (Materials & Construction Fundamentals, Sustainable Design Literacy).
Appendix A
Reference data		 Human dimensions, accessibility geometry, drawing standards, MasterFormat references, sustainability checklists, and cost-related summaries. Section 1 (Cost Management); Section 3 (Construction Documents, Specifications, Document Coordination, Sustainable Design Literacy).

If you are short on time, Chapters 3 through 8 carry the heaviest exam load (foundations, floors, walls, roofs, moisture and thermal, doors and windows). Chapter 1 and Chapter 11 are high-yield for Section 1, and Chapter 10, Chapter 12, and the Appendix come up across the Section 3 documentation categories.

Key CHING terms every ExAC candidate should know

CHING introduces vocabulary the ExAC reuses without redefining. Learn these terms early so you spend exam time choosing the answer, not parsing the question.

TermWhat it means in CHING
Bearing wallA wall that supports vertical load from the structure above in addition to its own weight. Contrasted with a non-bearing partition.
Curtain wallA non-bearing exterior wall hung from the building structure, designed to resist wind and weather while carrying only its own weight.
Spread footingA widened base at the bottom of a foundation that distributes load over a larger area of soil. The most common shallow foundation type for low- to mid-rise construction in Canada.
Slab on gradeA concrete floor cast directly on prepared ground rather than on a structural frame. Requires careful detailing for moisture, insulation, and frost protection.
Platform framingWood-frame construction where each storey is built as a platform on top of the one below. The dominant residential framing method in Canada.
Air barrierA continuous material or system that resists air leakage through the building envelope. Required by the NBC and a recurring topic in Part 5 questions.
Vapour retarderA material that slows the diffusion of water vapour through an assembly. Placement depends on climate; in most of Canada it sits on the warm side of the insulation.
RainscreenA cladding strategy that places a drained and vented cavity behind the exterior face so any water that gets past the cladding can drain and dry.
Thermal bridgeA path through an assembly with lower thermal resistance than the surrounding insulation, such as a steel stud or a balcony slab. A major focus of current NECB-driven design.
FlashingSheet material installed to direct water away from joints, openings, and terminations in the building envelope.
Drainage planeThe continuous surface in a wall assembly that sheds liquid water to the exterior, typically the back face of the cladding or the face of the sheathing membrane.
GlazingThe transparent or translucent part of a window, door, or curtain wall, plus the framing and sealants that hold it in place.

How CHING compares to other ExAC references

CHING is the assemblies-and-building-science spine of the ExAC reading list, but it does not stand alone. Use this comparison to decide what to read for which kind of question.

ReferenceWhat it's forHow CHING relates
CHINGThe visual reference for how Canadian buildings are assembled: site, foundations, structure, envelope, openings, finishes, and systems.The reference standard for building-science and assemblies content on the ExAC.
CHOPThe full landscape of Canadian architectural practice: profession, business, project delivery, and every project phase.Different jobs. CHOP is how a project runs; CHING is how a wall is built. Both are tested, in different sections.
NBC 2020The national model building code: technical compliance rules.CHING shows how assemblies are commonly built; the NBC sets what is required. Reading them together accelerates Part 5 and Part 9 study.
NECBThe national model energy code for buildings.CHING shows envelope detailing, including thermal bridging and continuity of insulation. The NECB sets the performance targets.
RSMeans and YardsticksConstruction cost data for early-stage estimating.CHING explains the assemblies behind the cost lines. Once you understand a wall section, the unit prices stop being abstract.
Architectural Graphic StandardsComprehensive American graphic standards covering materials, accessibility, and assemblies.Graphic Standards goes deeper on tabular data and code-related geometry. CHING is faster for assembly logic and reads better cover-to-cover.
Canadian Wood-Frame House ConstructionA Canadian guide to NBC Part 9 wood-frame residential construction.Pairs well with CHING for Part 9 detailing questions; CHING explains the principles, CWFHC gives the Canadian residential specifics.

How to study CHING for the ExAC

  • Skim the whole book once so you know what lives where, then plan a deeper read on Chapters 3 through 8 (foundations, floors, walls, roofs, moisture and thermal protection, doors and windows).
  • Study assemblies by section, not by page. For each chapter, pick the two or three diagrams that explain the assembly logic and re-draw them by hand. The act of redrawing forces understanding.
  • Pair CHING with the NBC, especially Part 5 (environmental separation) and Part 9 (small buildings). The CHING diagrams make the code provisions concrete.
  • Tab the high-yield diagrams: rainscreen wall, vapour retarder placement, typical foundation section, roof drainage, window flashing, and the wall-to-roof intersection.
  • Test recall with scenario-based practice questions. CHING content sticks faster when you apply it to a project situation than when you re-read passages.
  • Anchor every chapter to a real assembly you have seen on a job or a site visit. Diagrams stick when they have a story.

ExAC sections CHING supports

Examitect's ExAC study plan lists primary and supplementary resources for each category. Here is where CHING shows up on that plan.

ExAC sectionHow CHING shows up on Examitect's study plan
Section 1
Design and analysis		Primary resource for site and environmental analysis, coordinating engineering systems, cost management, schematic design, and design development. Programming is the one Section 1 category where CHING is not on the primary list.
Section 2
Codes		Not a primary resource. Section 2 is covered by the NBC 2020 and the NECB. CHING is still useful background, particularly for envelope-related code provisions, but it is not on the Section 2 primary list.
Section 3
Sustainability and final project		Primary resource for materials, building science, assemblies and detailing, construction documents, specifications, document coordination and code compliance, and sustainable design literacy.
Section 4
Construction and practice		Not a primary resource. Section 4 is covered by CHOP and the CCDC and RAIC contract documents. CHING is not on the Section 4 primary list.

Tips for Intern Architects reading CHING

CHING was written for someone learning the craft, which makes it friendlier to read than a code book. The catch is that the diagrams pack a lot of information per page. Here is how to read CHING without skimming past the parts that show up on the exam.

Tip 1, read with a pencil. Annotate every diagram you study. Circle the air barrier, trace the load path, mark the warm side of the insulation. Passive reading does not stick. The reason CHING is a classroom favourite is that it rewards active note-taking.

Tip 2, pair every chapter with the NBC. When you read Chapter 7 on moisture and thermal protection, open NBC Part 5 alongside it. When you read Chapter 3 on foundations, open NBC Part 9. The diagrams in CHING make the code provisions click, and the code provisions tell you which CHING details actually meet Canadian requirements.

Tip 3, focus on the wall section. Most ExAC envelope questions live or die on whether you can read a wall section confidently. Make sure you can identify, from the outside in, every layer of a typical rainscreen wall, and where the air, water, vapour, and thermal control layers sit.

Tip 4, redraw the top five details by hand. Typical foundation, typical exterior wall, typical low-slope roof, typical window head and sill, and a wall-to-roof junction. Redrawing them once will do more for retention than re-reading the chapter three times.

Tip 5, tie Chapter 11 to your project's consultants. When you read the mechanical and electrical chapter, picture the latest mechanical drawing set you saw at the office. Most Section 1 engineering coordination questions are about knowing which decisions are the architect's and which are the consultant's.

Tip 6, do not skip the Appendix. The Appendix carries human dimensions, drawing standards, sustainability summaries, and cost-related content that the ExAC pulls from for Section 1 cost questions and Section 3 documentation questions. It is short, scannable, and high-yield.

Tip 7, track gaps against your IAP experience. If you read a chapter and realize you have never seen that assembly built, flag it for your supervising architect. The Internship in Architecture Program (IAP) experience categories overlap heavily with the CHING chapters, and a targeted project assignment can close a study gap and an experience gap at once.

Common ExAC scenarios where CHING is the answer

These question types come up across ExAC sittings. If you see one, your first instinct should be to picture the relevant CHING diagram.

  • A wall assembly is failing inspection because condensation is forming on the interior face of the sheathing. Where is the vapour retarder likely misplaced?
  • A sloped site requires a stepped foundation. Which CHING principle determines the spacing and depth of each step?
  • A curtain wall is being chosen over a window wall for a six-storey office. What does that decision change about load path, anchorage, and floor-to-floor coordination?
  • The architect must choose between platform framing and a hybrid wood-and-steel solution for a small mixed-use building. What trade-offs apply?
  • A flat roof drains poorly after a year in service. Which envelope continuity issue is the most likely cause, and which CHING chapter covers it?
  • A window head detail leaks during a wind-driven rain event. What is missing from the flashing sequence?
  • A schematic design needs an early estimate of building area, cost, and structural depth. Which CHING chapters and Appendix references support that pricing exercise?

Each scenario traces back to a CHING chapter. Chapters 3 through 8 (foundations through doors and windows) carry the most weight, with Chapter 1 (site), Chapter 11 (systems), and the Appendix (cost, accessibility, drawing standards) close behind.

How Examitect reinforces CHING

Reading CHING is half the work. The other half is recognizing the content under pressure on a timed exam. Examitect's question bank draws heavily from CHING for Section 1 design questions and Section 3 building-science questions. Each answer explanation points back to the specific CHING chapter and page range, so you can re-read just the pages you need rather than the whole book.

You also get scenario-based questions that put CHING's diagrams into a real project context, full-length mock exams that mirror ExAC pacing, and free study notes for every section. Try a few sample questions first, then check pricing when you want the full bank.

CHING and ExAC FAQ

Building Construction Illustrated, by Francis D.K. Ching, is a visual reference covering site work, foundations, framing, envelope assemblies, doors and windows, finishes, mechanical and electrical systems, and materials. Examitect's ExAC study plan lists the 7th Edition as a primary resource for most categories in Section 1 (Design and analysis) and Section 3 (Sustainability and final project).

Yes. Examitect's ExAC study plan lists Building Construction Illustrated (7th Edition) as a primary resource for site analysis, engineering systems, cost management, schematic design, design development, materials, building science, assemblies and detailing, construction documents, specifications, document coordination, and sustainable design literacy.

Section 1 (Design and analysis) and Section 3 (Sustainability and final project). CHING is not a primary resource for Section 2 (Codes), which is covered by the NBC and NECB, or Section 4 (Construction and practice), which is covered by CHOP and the CCDC and RAIC contract documents.

The 7th Edition. Examitect's ExAC study plan cites page ranges from the 7th Edition throughout Sections 1 and 3. Earlier editions cover similar material, but the page references on the study plan will not match.

Skim once for the shape of the book, then study Chapters 3 through 8 in depth. Tab the assembly diagrams you keep coming back to, pair CHING with the relevant NBC Part 5 and Part 9 provisions, and test recall with scenario-based practice questions.

CHING is how a wall is built. CHOP is how a project runs. CHING covers the physical assemblies, materials, and building science behind a building; CHOP covers the architect's practice, contracts, project phases, and site administration. The ExAC tests both, in different sections.

No. Focus on the diagrams that explain assembly logic: how loads travel through a foundation, how a rainscreen wall sheds water, how a vapour retarder is placed for the climate, how a roof drains, and how openings are flashed. ExAC questions test principles, not isolated facts.

CHING shows how assemblies are typically built; the NBC sets what is required. Reading them together is the fastest way to internalize Part 5 (envelope) and Part 9 (small buildings). CHING is also a primary resource for the document coordination and code compliance category in Section 3 on Examitect's study plan.

Keep exploring

Other ExAC reference books.

CHING is one of several primary references on Examitect's ExAC study plan. Continue with the rest.

CHOP

Canadian Handbook of Practice. The practice spine of the ExAC reading list, primary for most categories in Sections 1, 3, and all of 4.

NBC 2020

National Building Code of Canada. The primary reference for every category in ExAC Section 2.

NECB

National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings. Supports the envelope and energy questions in Section 2.

RSMeans

Construction cost data. Used for elemental estimating and cost-management questions in Section 1.

Yardsticks

Hanscomb Yardsticks for Costing. Canadian elemental cost data by building type and region.

Supporting references

The extended reading list of supplementary references that show up across the ExAC reading list.