For decades what has made headlines is now a harsh reality — the housing crisis affects communities across the country. As construction costs rise and overall supply gets limited, it is increasingly harder for families to find stable and affordable housing. The growing unpredictability of climate challenges and expansion of the urban footprint calls for immediate action. The axis thus shifts from producing housing stock to the need for equitable and sustainable housing solutions.

Our team — Solar Decathlon at Georgia Tech — recently represented the College of Design at the Housing Innovation Summit 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina, as finalists in the inaugural Housing Innovation Challenge. Over the next 16 months, we will work with builders, manufacturers, suppliers, civic leaders, and housing advocates to turn innovation into reality of full-scale homes that will serve as permanent housing for local residents.

What excites me most about this opportunity is not just the chance to design a house. It is the chance to rethink what housing can and should be. Too often, discussions about sustainability focus only on energy efficiency or technological advances. While those aspects are important, sustainability without fairness is incomplete. A truly sustainable future means people can afford to live in safe, strong homes without being pushed out by the very systems that are supposed to support their communities.

This perspective challenges the separate fields in which we often work. Affordable housing is not just an architectural issue, neither is it only an engineering problem or a policy concern — it lies at the intersection of design, construction, finance, insurance, manufacturing, governance, and community involvement. Thus, addressing it requires us to connect every part of the process, from research universities to insurers.

As students, we are in a unique position to help with this effort. Academia gives us a place to test ideas, question assumptions, and push for innovation that may not yet fit within current industry standards. At the same time, collaborating with private industry ensures that our ideas can move beyond the classroom and into the real world. The homes we create through this challenge will not just be theoretical projects; they will become places where people build their lives.

As our team begins this next phase, we invite you to join us. Whether your background is in architecture, engineering, industrial design, business, communications, liberal arts, policy, or another area, your skills are welcome here. The challenges our communities face are complex, and they need solutions that draw on many fields. If we want communities where people can thrive, then we must be willing to rethink how we design, build, finance, and support the places people call home. I invite you to join us in that mission.