NAHB Mourns Passing of Former Staff Member Gopal Ahluwalia

Economics
Published

NAHB mourns the passing of Gopal Ahluwalia, a longtime NAHB staff member, on March 3. He was 94.

Ahluwalia served as vice president of research of NAHB for 32 years, overseeing the research, analytical and data needs of the association. He was responsible for the planning, development and analysis of the large volume of data that the organization collected from both primary and secondary sources. He also tracked trends in design, features, products and layout of new homes, as well as smart growth, environmental issues, green building, construction cost, cost of regulations and impact fees.

He continued in the field of home building research after leaving the NAHB, and lent his expertise to many publications and private companies as the owner of GBA Research and Consulting.

“Gopal was a much sought-after industry expert on housing and home building for decades,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “His residential construction research affected millions in terms of home design and the construction plans of NAHB members across the nation.”

“Gopal shared his wisdom and experience enthusiastically, mentoring many of us at the start of our careers,” said Rose Quint, NAHB assistant vice president of survey research. “On our behalf, thank you.”

Ahluwalia lived in Potomac, MD, and is survived by his wife, Brij; his son, Amit, and his wife, Seema; his daughter, Amrita, and her husband, Rudra Rai; and his grandchildren — Mira, Sachi, Neil, Devan, Dev and Leena.

Services will be held Friday and Saturday.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Legal

Mar 06, 2026

NAHB Commends Court Ruling Vacating HUD 2021 IECC Mandate

NAHB Chairman Bill Owens issued the following statement after the Eastern District Court of Texas issued its decision in a lawsuit brought by NAHB and 15 states challenging the legality of the HUD and USDA rule imposing the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code and the 2019 ASHRAE 90.1 standard on certain housing programs.

Membership

Mar 06, 2026

Bill Truex Seeks Certification as a Candidate for 2028 NAHB Third Vice Chairman

The NAHB Nominations Committee announces that Bill Truex, president, Truex Preferred Construction in Englewood, FL, has submitted his Letter of Intent to seek certification as a candidate for NAHB 2028 Third Vice Chairman.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Mar 06, 2026

U.S. Economy Loses 92,000 Jobs in February

The U.S. labor market weakened in February, as payroll employment declined and the unemployment rate rose to 4.4%. The cooling labor market could place the Federal Reserve in a challenging position as policymakers weigh slower job growth against inflation pressures from rising oil prices.

Economics

Mar 05, 2026

Builders Identify Key Long-Term Forces Shaping Housing Demand and Industry Health

Home builders are keenly aware of the complex long-term outlook ahead for the home building industry. A recent NAHB/Wells Fargo HMI survey asked builders to assess the impact of 14 major trends and forces on the health of the industry and housing demand over the next 10 years.

Economics

Mar 05, 2026

Affordability Posts Mild Gains in Second Half of 2025 but Crisis Continues

Though new and existing homes remain largely unaffordable, the needle moved slightly in the right direction in the second half of 2025, according to the latest data from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Cost of Housing Index (CHI).