Plus, construction spending slides, windowless bedrooms get the boot, plug-in solar gains momentum, and modular housing, mass timber, ADUs and heat pumps offer new approaches to affordability.
Its massive Sunbridge development in Florida could eventually include more than 36,000 homes, while another project outside Denver is planned for more than 12,000 residents. With the church reportedly investing on a 50-to-100-year time horizon, traditional homebuilders may have a new player to watch.
Then we challenge an even bigger assumption. America certainly needs more housing, but is a lack of houses really the biggest problem? In the latest Valuation Metric, Gutterman examines The Housing Shortage Mythand argues that affordability may tell us more about today's housing crisis than raw supply numbers alone.
Then, we look at a new approach to the skilled-trades shortage that asks prospective workers a different question: Instead of what does training cost, what could waiting cost you? A new calculator answers that question.
Cati O’Keefe is the editorial director of Green Builder Media. She has 25 years of experience reporting and writing on all aspects of residential housing, building and energy codes, green building, and sustainability.
50,000 Homes: The Mormon Church’s Big Housing Bet
Plus, construction spending slides, windowless bedrooms get the boot, plug-in solar gains momentum, and modular housing, mass timber, ADUs and heat pumps offer new approaches to affordability.
This Week’s Sustainable Building News pod starts with the latest numbers, and they aren’t particularly encouraging for builders. New construction spending data show residential construction spending dropped 1.3 percent in July, while single-family spending fell 3.2 percent in one month and 6.5 percent from a year ago. High mortgage rates, affordability pressures and growing inventories of unsold homes continue to complicate the market.
Then there’s one of the more unexpected housing stories we’ve seen lately. Bloomberg reports that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owns at least 2.4 million acres across the United States, valued at more than $20 billion. Increasingly, some of that land is becoming housing.
Its massive Sunbridge development in Florida could eventually include more than 36,000 homes, while another project outside Denver is planned for more than 12,000 residents. With the church reportedly investing on a 50-to-100-year time horizon, traditional homebuilders may have a new player to watch.
Housing itself is changing in some surprising ways. Beginning with the 2027 International Building Code, residential bedrooms and living rooms will be required to have natural light, closing a loophole that allowed windowless bedrooms. Meanwhile, California lawmakers have approved a bill that could make small plug-in solar systems available to renters and homeowners who can't install traditional rooftop solar.
We also look at two developments that could give modular construction a boost. Baltimore’s Bmore Build Forward initiative is turning vacant lots into high-performance modular homes while training local workers and creating opportunities for small developers. At the same time, new provisions in the 2027 building codes aim to make off-site projects easier to inspect and approve across jurisdictions.
And affordability isn’t only about producing more houses. Massachusetts is helping homeowners build more ADUs , while Green Builder Media CEO Sara Gutterman looks at another potentially enormous opportunity: replacing electric resistance heating with heat pumps. RMI estimates widespread conversion could save American households more than $20 billion annually.
Then we challenge an even bigger assumption. America certainly needs more housing, but is a lack of houses really the biggest problem? In the latest Valuation Metric, Gutterman examines The Housing Shortage Myth and argues that affordability may tell us more about today's housing crisis than raw supply numbers alone.
Finally, we head to Norway, where an 18-story mass timber tower offers a fascinating glimpse at a lower-carbon future for tall buildings.
Then, we look at a new approach to the skilled-trades shortage that asks prospective workers a different question: Instead of what does training cost, what could waiting cost you? A new calculator answers that question.
Watch the full This Week’s Sustainable Building News episode here or wherever you get your podcasts. Rather read the script? Here it is. Have a great sustainability news or trend story? Send it to Cati O’Keefe at cati.okeefe@greenbuildermedia.com
Upcoming Building and Sustainability Events
September 9–10: Building Fire Safety Symposium, Chicago
September 15-16: U.S. Heat Pump Summit, Worcester, Mass.
September 16–18: EEBA Summit 2026, St. Paul, Minn.
October 18–21: International Code Council’s 2026 Annual Conference and Expo, Nashville, Tenn.
October 20–23: Greenbuild 2026, New York
October 23: NAHB’s 2027 Sustainability and Green Building Scholarship Application Due
November 4–5: The Building Products Customer Workshop, Nashville
November 18: 2026 Southwest Utility Energy Efficiency Workshop, Santa Fe
November 18–20: 1st International Online Conference on Sustainable Construction (GO BUILD 2026) (Virtual)
December 9: International Conference on Sustainable Architecture and Urban Design Engineering (ICSAUDE), New York
January 28-29: ICGBS 2027: 21. International Conference on Green Building and Sustainability, New York
February 2-4, Design & Construction Week 2027 (IBS & KBIS), Las Vegas
March 1-5, 2027, ASCE2027: The Infrastructure and Engineering Experience, Philadelphia
By Cati O'Keefe
Cati O’Keefe is the editorial director of Green Builder Media. She has 25 years of experience reporting and writing on all aspects of residential housing, building and energy codes, green building, and sustainability.Also Read