10 Teams Selected to Build in the Housing Innovation Challenge:
A national design-build competition uniting students, builders, and innovators to deliver attainable housing solutions.
The Challenge
Across America, families are being priced out of homeownership. The Housing Innovation Challenge brings together the next generation of architects, engineers, and builders to develop real, scalable solutions to solve this challenge – beginning with Charlotte, North Carolina.
The H.O.M.E Framework
The H.O.M.E. framework looks beyond construction costs to examine how design, innovation, and long-term value shape true housing affordability.
H - The Cost of Homes
Captures the full cost of producing a home, including land, labor, materials, regulations, and market factors that determine its price.
O -The Cost of Occupancy
Encompasses all upfront and ongoing expenses required to occupy a home, from closing costs and deposits to financing, taxes, insurance, and fees.
M - The Cost of Maintenance, Repairs and Operation
Accounts for the recurring maintenance, repairs, and daily operational costs needed to keep a home functioning over time.
E - Access to Equity
Reflects the value, liquidity, and accessibility of home equity as a key offset to housing costs and a major driver of long-term wealth.
Key Dates
Design Phase Now through February 2027
Deliver Phase February 2027 - September 2027
Showcase October 2027
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“We’re connecting the next generation of innovators with the builders, investors, and manufacturers ready to scale their ideas. This is how transformation happens, through collaboration, courage, and shared purpose.”
- Dennis Steigerwalt, President
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“Innovation is an important part of the solution to the housing crisis today. As a Charlottean and one of the original investors in housing-related innovation, I am incredibly proud to bring this Challenge to the city and, further, to the benefit of the country as a whole. This is a groundbreaking catalyst for showcasing what the best and brightest minds can accomplish when focused on the biggest issue of our time.”
- Chris Langford, Managing Partner
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“We believe every family deserves to live better, at a price they can afford. However, construction practices haven’t significantly changed over the last 100 years to meet the demands of rising costs. The Challenge gives us a chance to engage people with new ideas and empower students and tradespeople to redefine how homes are made.”
- Brett Welch, Senior Director of Building Science and Innovation
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“We are proud to host the Housing Innovation Challenge. Affordable housing is a critical area of investment that remains a priority for the City of Charlotte. This competition has a meaningful purpose which is to create more affordable housing not just in our city, but in every city across the country. The Challenge shines a spotlight on the incredible talent we have right here in Charlotte and across the Carolinas - architects, engineers, builders, and entrepreneurs who can lead the nation in housing innovation.
I’m calling on city leaders, state partners, and local industry to rise to the occasion - to support our students, sponsor our teams, and help us build a future where every individual and family can afford a place to call home.”
Vi Lyles, Mayor of Charlotte