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HUD panel spotlights modular, 3D‑printing and component strategies to speed housing production
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Summary
At HUD's Innovative Housing Showcase, industry leaders described how modular construction, factory 3D printing using recycled polymers, component manufacturing and private‑sector supply chains can cut timelines and costs—and urged HUD to fund and permit innovations to scale them.
WASHINGTON — Deputy Secretary Andrew Hughes opened a HUD panel on innovative construction on the National Mall, where industry leaders from Connect Housing Blocks, Azure Printed Homes, the Structural Building Components Association and Home Depot laid out how off‑site production, 3‑D printing and componentized systems could speed housing delivery and help address the U.S. housing shortage.
Brad DeHayes, president and founder of Connect Housing Blocks, said stacked modular apartment construction has advanced to the point his company can “go up to 11 stories tall,” and that factory production plus third‑party inspections and integrated fabrication software have cut development timelines by roughly half on recent projects. DeHayes said one Columbus project of about 102 units moved families into homes in roughly nine months, instead of the typical two years, and that developers saw large reductions in carrying costs as a result.
Gene Edelman, CEO and co‑founder of Azure Printed Homes, described a factory 3‑D printing approach using a fiberglass and recycled‑polymer composition. He said some factory demo units can be produced “in 24 hours,” and estimated production costs “20 to 30% less expensive” than traditional construction for comparable units. Edelman also urged regulators to enable interim housing models and said prevailing‑wage paperwork has delayed small projects, citing a Camarillo project where finding a surveyor took months.
Jess Luce, executive director of the Structural Building Components Association, emphasized design‑for‑manufacturing: national builders are beginning to design plants and plans around component use so factories and job sites align, creating feedback loops that reduce material and time waste. He highlighted the need to account for local codes and to bring builders along incrementally so they will adopt new products and processes.
Chip Devine, senior vice president of pro sales at Home Depot, emphasized supply‑chain and platform solutions for small and mid‑size builders. He cited the age of the U.S. housing stock and a skilled‑labor shortfall—figures panelists placed at about 53% of homes older than 40 years and a roughly 400,000 worker gap—and described Home Depot’s investments in distribution, digital ordering and trade credit to help professional contractors build more efficiently.
Panelists identified several barriers to scaling proven approaches: the business risk of scale‑up, high interest rates and other finance constraints, skilled‑labor shortages, fragmented permitting and local code requirements, and builder risk‑aversion to process change. They urged HUD and other federal agencies to fund de‑risking mechanisms for innovation, consider targeted lending or underwriting adjustments for modular/manufactured projects and streamline permitting and inspection pathways for factory production.
The session included a range of quantifiable claims: DeHayes said his factory reduces on‑site waste by more than 70% and reported hiring about 160 factory employees; Edelman said one exhibit unit used roughly 150,000 empty water bottles in its recycled composition and that Azure has about $40 million in preorders and planned expansions. Panelists framed many numbers as company estimates or industry observations rather than independently verified facts.
Deputy Secretary Hughes closed the session by inviting attendees to view the Innovative Housing Showcase displays on the National Mall. Panelists said they are seeking both public‑sector policy adjustments and private capital to bring proven factory and digital workflows to scale.
