Wisconsin's
HOUSING
SHORTAGE
The Housing Industry's Resistance to Change
The housing industry, while facing a critical shortage of homes, ironically struggles to embrace innovative solutions that could alleviate the problem. The way homes are built in the United States has remained largely unchanged for decades, resulting in a 50% decline in productivity since 1968. This reluctance to adopt new technologies and approaches has left the industry grappling with an aging workforce, soaring construction costs, and a backlog of nearly $3 trillion in unmet housing needs. This resistance to change, coupled with outdated building codes and a complex web of regulations, creates significant barriers for companies seeking to revolutionize home construction and address the urgent need for more affordable and sustainable housing.
Since 1984, the US House Sales Price to Income Ratio Has Jumped 5.8x
Zillow, 2024
Wisconsin's 20 Largest Counties Underproduced Over 26,000 Housing Units From 2006-2023
US Census Bureau data 2006-2023
88% of General Contractors Had a Hard Time Filling Craft Positions
2023 Associated General Contractors Survey
2025 | Building Tomorrow's House | Six Part Speaker Series
The series brought together architects, engineers, 3D concrete builders, academics, and construction professionals to explore how modular construction, robotics, and advanced manufacturing could address Wisconsin's housing shortage.
Sessions featured international perspectives from Swedish modular manufacturer Lindbacks and 3D printing pioneer COBOD International, regulatory and permitting deep-dives with state legislators and local building officials, design methodology workshops, and manufacturing and supply chain analysis from the USDA Forest Products Lab.
The series surfaced critical challenges and opportunities that now form the foundation for our 2026 Housing Materials and Production Innovation Challenge.
LET'S DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
Announcing the AEC Housing Innovation Challenge, with support from American Family Dreams Foundation and the Small Business Administration.
Problem Statements that emerged out of the 2025 work included:
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How might we standardize or streamline the regulatory pathway for innovative construction methods?
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How might we design manufacturing systems that can produce building components at scale using regional materials and just-in-time delivery?
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How might we create mass customization systems that allow meaningful design variation while maintaining production efficiency?
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How might we reduce the time between factory completion and occupancy-ready installation?
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Where is this heading?​​
