NAHB Helps Kick Off Innovative Housing Showcase on the National Mall
HUD Secretary Scott Turner (left) and NAHB Chairman Bill Owens open the Innovative Housing Showcase
NAHB Chairman Bill Owens addresses the crowd at the Innovative Housing Showcase
NAHB Chairman Bill Owens (left) participates in a panel discussion with Sean Shields of the Structural Building Components Association and HUD Deputy Secretary Andrew Hughes (right)
NAHB Chairman Bill Owens was on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 23 to help open the 2026 Innovative Housing Showcase, an annual event presented by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The Showcase is a public event held on the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the Capitol to raise awareness of innovative housing designs and technologies that have the potential to increase housing supply, lower the cost of construction, and reduce housing expenses for owners and renters.
NAHB was an organizing partner for the inaugural event in 2019.
“NAHB is glad to work with HUD and housing industry colleagues to promote innovation in the housing and construction industry,” Owens said in his opening remarks. “We need to pull every lever to create new housing opportunities, working at every level of government — federal, state, local — to encourage a positive policy environment for new housing and upgrading existing housing, train a much-needed skilled workforce, and improve the quality, safety, resilience and efficiency of America’s housing.”
Owens spoke at the event’s opening ceremony, joined HUD Secretary Scott Turner in the official ribbon cutting, and participated in a panel discussion on increasing housing supply. Sean Shields of the Structural Building Components Association joined Owens on the panel, which was moderated by HUD Deputy Secretary Andrew Hughes.
During the panel, Owens noted that soaring home prices and mortgage rates have caused the median age of a first-time home buyer to rise to 40 years old. He also noted all-cash transactions made up a whopping 27% of home sales in August, a sign that wealthier home buyers continue to see little impact from the affordability crisis.
This has spurred builders to offer incentives to sell their homes, with 66% of home builders reporting incentives last month and 38% dropping prices by an average of 6%.
The two-day Showcase officially wrapped up on the National Mall on Thursday, Sept. 24.