It is undeniable that innovation in other industries is rampant. WHERE is “better, faster and more efficient” in the
homebuilding industry? Where is the disruption? Where are the new products, new processes and new ways of thinking?
Let’s be honest: We are still using materials and employing practices that were developed in the 1930’s. As a matter of fact, we are still exploring “innovations” that spawned two generations ago. From shingles and stucco, to wall board and insulation, not a lot has changed. Sure, there have been some advances thanks to technology and connectivity, but we are still ruminating on energy efficiency and savings today in much the same manner as we did 90 years ago.
Why is the homebuilding industry so slow to adopt and therefore so far behind the pace of innovation in today’s world? Presumably, the home is the largest, most expensive product in our lives. A staggering percentage of the population has one, and it plays a significant, active role in the daily lives of billions of people – in other words, we touch and use our homes every day. So why then, with such a “hot commodity” do we not innovate more rapidly?
We need to speed up innovation in our industry to find and adopt new, innovative building products and practices. We must approach it in a whole-systems thinking manner, as everything we do is intertwined and interconnected. So, let’s challenge ourselves and challenge one another to move our industry forward more rapidly. There IS a better way to do things – but we need to work together to get there.