HUD Innovative Housing Showcase begins Saturday

More than two dozen organizations will present cutting-edge housing and building solutions on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., this weekend during the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s annual Innovative Housing Showcase.

The event, established by then-HUD Secretary Ben Carson in 2019, is scheduled for Sept. 6–10.

“HUD is proud to champion public-private partnerships across the nation,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner said. “This year’s Innovative Housing Showcase is historic. We look forward to welcoming thousands of attendees as they join us in celebrating American ingenuity, endurance, and free market innovation to see firsthand how Americans are making housing great again — all as part of the America 250 Initiative.”

With the theme “The American Home Is the American Dream,” the event also serves as part of the America 250 Initiative, a nationwide commemoration of the country’s 250th anniversary.

More event details can be found here.

Exhibitors make their mark

This year’s exhibits will include entire model homes — ranging from manufactured and modular to 3D-printed designs — developed by companies from across the U.S.

Guardian Structural Technologies (GST) — a Cleveland-based innovator in energy-efficient housing — is showcasting its award-winning SHIELD Panel system. GST’s galvanized steel and EPS foam panels speed construction while boosting energy efficiency, with more than 1,400 buildings completed nationwide.

A finalist in Cleveland’s initiative to deliver 5,000 affordable homes, GST is piloting modular housing with Habitat for Humanity.

Compact Cottage, based in Fletcher, North Carolina, will debut its patent-pending Origami Home.

Designed for speed and efficiency, the foldable home is fully manufactured in a warehouse with prewired walls, prebuilt bathrooms and minimal waste. Once on site, it unfolds and assembles in days — and can reportedly be occupied within a week of permitting.

Already in use across western North Carolina, the design offers scalable, affordable housing solutions.

California-based ePIPE will showcase its patented in-place pipe restoration technology.

Performed in occupied buildings, the process restores and protects piping systems with an epoxy barrier coating, solving leaks and reducing lead leaching without the disruption of traditional repiping. The system is said to be backed by 30-plus U.S. and international patents.

UMH Properties of New Jersey — in partnership with Ritz-Craft Homes, Champion Homes and Cavco Industries — will present three cutting-edge manufactured homes that highlight affordability, design and efficiency.

A featured model includes GAF Energy’s solar shingle roof with integrated storage that reduces costs and promotes sustainability. Founded in 1968, UMH operates 144 manufactured home communities across multiple states.