The Green Builder Media Network

Green Builder Media

5.0 (3)
Education

From breaking news and market signals to deep dives on sustainability, value, policy, resilience, and meaning, the Green Builder Media Podcast Network brings together the industry’s most trusted voices to explore how homes are designed, built, valued, and lived in.

2d ago

Could Wildfire Risk Hurt Your Mortgage—or Get You a Better Deal?

This Week’s Sustainable Building News. Wildfire risk is beginning to show up in unexpected places in the housing market. This week, we look at how lenders are responding, a battle over building in a California wildfire zone, GM’s move into home energy, new approaches to decarbonization and indoor air quality, and more. Wildfire risk could make a traditional mortgage harder and more expensive to get, while some online lenders appear to be doing the opposite.“Big Short” investor Michael Burry is suing to stop a 25-home development in a California wildfire zone, citing evacuation risks.GM Energy and PG&E are bringing EV charging, smart charging incentives and the potential for vehicle-to-home power into the car-buying process.Green Builder Coalition’s Mike Collignon examines DOE’s new approach to the 2024 IECC and what it could mean for trust in federal energy-code analysis.USGBC releases new tools designed to help owners decarbonize existing buildings and entire real estate portfolios.Could plants become part of a building’s mechanical system? Yale researchers are exploring “metabolic architecture” for indoor air quality.A new project gallery shows how continuous-insulation EIFS assemblies are being used across more than 200 real-world buildings.On The Valuation Metric, Sara Gutterman and Alair Homes CEO and President Rob Cecil explore why the true value of a home starts long before construction.Gen Z may be rediscovering the “cold room” as bedrooms shift back toward one primary purpose: better sleep.Editor’s Product Pick: Kwikset Signature Series door hardware shows how durability and longer product life can contribute to a more sustainable home.And Green Builder Media’s new COGNITION Smart Data report examines housing affordability through the lens of full cost, not just first cost. 👍 Like this video if you enjoy our coverage. 💬 Tell us which story mattered most to you in the comments. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode. About Green Builder Media Green Builder Media provides news, insights and intelligence on sustainable building, high-performance homes, resilience, energy efficiency, building science and the future of housing. www.GreenBuilderMedia.com
Sep 23

Promised Land? Renewed Interest in the Resilient Belt

This Week’s Sustainable Building News. Could the Midwest become America’s next housing hot spot? This week, we look at the emerging “Resilience Belt”—plus, a major shift in where U.S. investment is flowing, surprising insurance data, wildfire-ready homes, new energy technology, construction exoskeletons, and more. Could affordable, lower-risk Midwest metros become America’s next “Resilience Belt”? Lincoln, Neb., earns LEED Platinum certification, putting it among a small group of U.S. cities reaching the highest level. Investment in information-processing equipment has now surpassed residential investment for the first time. New research finds homeowners insurance stress can actually be greater closer to downtown than farther out. Could a small plug-in battery bring home energy storage to renters and people without rooftop solar? A dramatic Colorado fire demonstration shows what happens when one home is built for wildfire and another isn’t. COGNITION Smart Data finds interest in all-electric homes has more than doubled in just one year. On The Impact Series, Mike Collignon and Valerie Miller examine what the AI data center boom means for communities, infrastructure, water, energy, and long-term planning. Texas A&M researchers find construction exoskeletons may reduce fatigue while helping workers recognize jobsite hazards. And in Washington state, one woman is connecting two unlikely tools for building stronger communities: women’s soccer and hempcrete homes. 👍 Like this video if you enjoy our coverage. 💬 Tell us which story mattered most to you in the comments. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode. About Green Builder Media Green Builder Media provides news, insights and intelligence on sustainable building, high-performance homes, resilience, energy efficiency, building science and the future of housing. www.GreenBuilderMedia.com
Sep 22

The Value of Enough

Sara Gutterman talks with architect Bill Ramsey about how thoughtful design can create more value even as homes get smaller and affordability pressures intensify. From flexible floor plans and natural light to shared outdoor spaces, resilient construction, placemaking, and missing-middle housing, this conversation explores why good design is not simply about taking things away until the numbers work. It is about giving something back, and creating homes and communities that live better, last longer, and deliver more value than price per square foot can measure.
Sep 16

Airbnb Bets $250M on Housing, “Let America Build” Goes National, & Robots Take on Construction

This Week’s Sustainable Building News: Housing takes center stage this week as Airbnb makes a $250 million bet on getting more homes built, a national coalition pushes communities to “Let America Build,” and local housing battles show just how complicated increasing supply can be. Plus, construction automation, free technical help for builders, COGNITION Smart Data, climate and insurance risk, plastic-free paint, tree rights, and a new era for geothermal. • Airbnb bets $250 million on housing: Its new Housing Accelerator targets stalled affordable and mixed-income projects while investing in housing innovation. • “Let America Build” goes national: Fourteen housing and real estate organizations are pushing for zoning, permitting, and regulatory reforms to increase housing supply. • Austin ties density to affordability: Larger projects near future light rail stations will have to include affordable housing on site. • D.R. Horton pulls a major Virginia development: The builder withdrew a proposed 770-home project following months of community opposition. • Can robots help solve construction’s labor shortage? Automation is promising less rework, faster construction, and greater factory-built efficiency. • DOE offers builders free technical help: A new program connects builders with experts to tackle costs, materials, factory optimization, AI, and other construction challenges. • COGNITION Smart Data launches: Green Builder Media’s new platform reveals what homebuyers want and where housing and building-product opportunities are forming. • What’s behind the walls matters: Sara Gutterman and DuPont’s Alan Hubbell explore durability, building science, and the shift from price per square foot to value per square foot. • Extreme heat becomes a housing and insurance problem: Climate risk is increasingly affecting insurance availability and home values. • Editor’s Product Pick — Paint Zero: A dry, plastic-free interior paint eliminates conventional acrylic and vinyl binders and dramatically reduces shipping weight. • Should trees have rights? Lewes, England, is putting a new twist on the debate over housing development versus protecting nature. • Could fracking technology unlock geothermal? Bloomberg Originals looks at how enhanced geothermal and deeper drilling could expand access to clean, around-the-clock power. If you're passionate about green building, sustainable construction, building science, housing policy, resilience, energy efficiency, healthy homes and the future of residential construction, subscribe to the Green Builder Media Network @thegreenbuildermedianetwork for new videos every week. 👍 Like this video if you enjoy our coverage. 💬 Tell us which story mattered most to you in the comments. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode. About Green Builder Media Green Builder Media provides news, insights and intelligence on sustainable building, high-performance homes, resilience, energy efficiency, building science and the future of housing. www.GreenBuilderMedia.com
Sep 15

Custom Homes, Common Values

Sara Gutterman talks with Rob Cecil, CEO and President of Alair Homes, about why the true value of a home begins long before construction starts. From custom homes as one-of-a-kind prototypes to wellness architecture, climate resilience, lifestyle alignment, and the power of intentional planning, this conversation explores how builders can move beyond price per square foot and design homes around the people who will actually live in them. Together, they unpack what it means to create homes that support health, comfort, connection, long-term value, and a better way of living.
Sep 10

ICE Raids Hit Homebuilding, Passive House Outperforms Codes, and Old Homes Make a Comeback

This Week’s Sustainable Building News: ICE enforcement is disrupting construction labor in some markets, Passive House is dramatically outperforming standard energy codes, and buyers are showing renewed interest in older homes. Plus: affordable housing that still isn’t affordable, smarter ways to cut energy bills, why trees may be health infrastructure, and a growing remodeling opportunity. Included on this episode: • ICE Enforcement Hits Homebuilding Labor and Costs • Why Thousands of “Affordable” Homes Are Sitting Empty • Judge Blocks HUD Fair Housing Funding Overhaul • Passive House Up to 4.5X More Energy Efficient Than Standard Codes • 3 Smarter Ways to Cut Home Energy Bills • Should Builders Think of Trees as Health Infrastructure? https://earth.org/nature-as-medicine-redesigning-urban-green-spaces-for-nature-based-healthcare/ https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025GH001651 • Old Homes Are Making a Comeback https://www.bhg.com/hottest-zip-codes-2026-12057045 https://candysdirt.com/2026/09/06/this-turtle-creek-mansion-proves-historic-homes-are-hot-again/ • COGNITION Hot Take: Green Remodeling Is a Revenue Opportunity • Editor’s Product Pick: Hardie Fiber Cement Siding See how Green Builder Media’s VISION House Asheville is putting resilience into practice. If you're passionate about green building, sustainable construction, building science, housing policy, resilience, energy efficiency, healthy homes and the future of residential construction, subscribe to the Green Builder Media Network @thegreenbuildermedianetwork for new videos every week. 👍 Like this video if you enjoy our coverage. 💬 Tell us which story mattered most to you in the comments. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode. About Green Builder Media Green Builder Media provides news, insights and intelligence on sustainable building, high-performance homes, resilience, energy efficiency, building science and the future of housing. www.GreenBuilderMedia.com
Sep 2

Mormon Church’s 50,000-Home Dream

This Week’s Sustainable Building News. The Mormon Church emerges as a major housing developer, new data show single-family construction spending falling, windowless bedrooms face a ban, plug-in solar comes to California, and modular housing gets a boost. Plus: mass timber skyscrapers, ADUs, heat pumps, the skilled trades and the real story behind America’s housing shortage. In this episode: U.S. Construction SpendingMormon Church Real Estate DevelopmentWindowless Bedroom Code ChangeCalifornia Plug-In SolarBmore Build ForwardQuality Training Centers Cost CalculatorMass Timber and the Future of CitiesMassachusetts ADUsThe Upgrade That Saves Billions of DollarsThe Housing Shortage Myth — The Valuation MetricRoom & Board Urban Wood ProjectIf you're passionate about green building, sustainable construction, building science, housing policy, resilience, energy efficiency, healthy homes and the future of residential construction, subscribe to the Green Builder Media Network @thegreenbuildermedianetwork for new videos every week. 👍 Like this video if you enjoy our coverage. 💬 Tell us which story mattered most to you in the comments. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode. About Green Builder Media Green Builder Media provides news, insights and intelligence on sustainable building, high-performance homes, resilience, energy efficiency, building science and the future of housing. www.GreenBuilderMedia.com
Aug 26

Housing’s New Reality: Build It to Survive

This Week’s Sustainable Building News. Stronger building codes, wildfire protection, passive survivability, extreme heat, tariffs, manufactured housing, modular construction and 3D-printed homes are reshaping what resilience and affordability mean for housing. In this episode: • Stronger building codes reduce hurricane damage — Homes built under Florida’s stronger code were 22% less likely to suffer wind damage. • Mold lawsuits put building science in the spotlight — Moisture, HVAC, ventilation and air-sealing problems are increasingly ending up in court. • California weakens wildfire Zone Zero rules — New requirements fall short of the five-foot non-combustible zone recommended by researchers and firefighters. • Passive survivability could keep homes habitable longer — Phius co-executive director Lisa White explains how passive buildings perform when power and critical systems fail. • Resiliency is becoming a housing value driver — Download Green Builder Media’s free COGNITION Smart Data report, A Growing Resiliency Economy. • Extreme heat is damaging home foundations — London’s subsidence crisis offers a warning for U.S. regions with expansive clay soils. • Can we cool buildings with less electricity? — Smart windows, shading, reflective roofs, ventilation and radiative cooling could reduce growing AC demand. • U.S.-Canada tariffs threaten construction costs — Renewed trade tensions could raise prices for building materials and housing. • Manufactured housing gets an affordability push — Congress is targeting construction costs, but high-cost financing remains a major obstacle. • Keller Williams makes a move into modular housing — KW Modular will train agents and connect them with modular home manufacturers. • 3D-printed housing gets a real-world test in Colorado — The Cleora development plans more than 65 3D-printed homes as the technology moves toward neighborhood scale. • Editor’s Product Pick: OX ThermoPLY Utility Board AB — A dual-purpose air barrier, draft stop and temporary surface-protection product. If you're passionate about green building, sustainable construction, building science, housing policy, resilience, energy efficiency, healthy homes, and the future of residential construction, subscribe to the Green Builder Media Network @thegreenbuildermedianetwork for new videos every week. 👍 Like this video if you enjoy our coverage. 💬 Tell us which story mattered most to you in the comments. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode. About Green Builder Media Green Builder Media provides news, insights and intelligence on sustainable building, high-performance homes, resilience, energy efficiency, building science and the future of housing. www.GreenBuilderMedia.com

5

out of 5

3 Ratings

From breaking news and market signals to deep dives on sustainability, value, policy, resilience, and meaning, the Green Builder Media Podcast Network brings together the industry’s most trusted voices to explore how homes are designed, built, valued, and lived in.

Creator

Green Builder Media
Years Active

2026
Episodes

60
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 The Green Builder Media Network
Show Website

The Green Builder Media Network