From construction labor shortages to a surprising affordable housing disconnect, this week’s news reveals where housing is under pressure and where new opportunities are emerging.
That’s just one of the housing stories we’re watching this week.
Affordable housing has an affordability problem. Austin has more than 4,500 vacant affordable units, yet many of the city’s lowest-income residents still can’t afford them. It’s a striking example of why simply building more units labeled “affordable” may not solve the problem.
A judge has put HUD’s fair housing funding overhaul on hold. The proposed changes would have concentrated much of the agency’s funding among just five organizations. For now, HUD has been ordered to distribute the money under last year’s rules.
Passive House just posted some eye-opening numbers. New research comparing Passive House with commonly used energy codes found that Passive House buildings could be up to 4.5 times more energy efficient in the modeled scenarios, with implications that extend from household energy bills to grid demand.
And finally, our Editor’s Product Pick of the Week is Hardie fiber cement siding, which Green Builder Media is using at VISION House Asheville as part of the project’s focus on resiliewwwnce.
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.
Old Homes Make a Comeback, ICE Raids Hit Homebuilding, and Passive House Outperforms Codes
From construction labor shortages to a surprising affordable housing disconnect, this week’s news reveals where housing is under pressure and where new opportunities are emerging.
Old houses are hot again. Established suburbs dominate Realtor.com’s hottest ZIP codes for 2026, while younger buyers in Dallas are showing interest in historic homes. Could upgrading great old and especially popular Historic houses rather than replacing them become a bigger part of sustainable housing?
Immigration enforcement is beginning to ripple through home construction in parts of the country, with some builders reporting fewer workers on job sites, higher labor costs, and project delays. For smaller builders especially, those disruptions can quickly translate into more expensive homes and missed closings.
That’s just one of the housing stories we’re watching this week.
Affordable housing has an affordability problem. Austin has more than 4,500 vacant affordable units, yet many of the city’s lowest-income residents still can’t afford them. It’s a striking example of why simply building more units labeled “affordable” may not solve the problem.
A judge has put HUD’s fair housing funding overhaul on hold. The proposed changes would have concentrated much of the agency’s funding among just five organizations. For now, HUD has been ordered to distribute the money under last year’s rules.
Passive House just posted some eye-opening numbers. New research comparing Passive House with commonly used energy codes found that Passive House buildings could be up to 4.5 times more energy efficient in the modeled scenarios, with implications that extend from household energy bills to grid demand.
Want to lower your home energy bill? Stop worrying so much about the lights. Schneider Electric says homeowners can make a bigger impact by focusing on when they use electricity, smarter heating controls, and automated home energy management.
Trees may be more than climate infrastructure. They may be health infrastructure. New research adds to evidence connecting urban greenery with better health outcomes while doctors are increasingly experimenting with “nature prescriptions.” There’s a lesson here for builders and developers, too.
Our COGNITION Hot Take finds opportunity in America’s aging housing stock. Homeowners are remodeling, and many are willing to spend that money on energy efficiency, electrification, solar, storage, and other environmental improvements.
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 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.