The conversations shaping the future of industrialized construction.

At IHS26, leaders across development, manufacturing, AEC, technology, government, and capital came together to work through the questions that determine whether industrialized construction can scale.

We’re releasing those conversations, starting with demand, then moving through supply, AEC transformation, and the big questions the industry still needs to solve.

  • The Future of Demand

  • Why Industrialized Housing Now

  • Coming Soon: The future of Supply

  • Coming Soon: The Transformation of AEC

  • Coming Soon: The big 6 questions

Thank you to Autodesk for making the video proceedings of this year’s Summit possible!

Why Industrialized Housing Now

Industrialized construction offers a path to greater speed, quality, and scale—but technology alone won’t transform housing. IHS26 opened with a call to move from promising ideas to practical implementation, aligning industry, research, and policy around what it will take to deliver housing differently.

The conversation also turns to Washington, as HUD’s Todd Richardson examines the ROAD to Housing Act and the federal policy environment shaping what comes next.

Speakers
Dr. Fernanda Leite · Vice President for Research, The University of Texas at Austin
Chris Rausch · Assistant Professor, The University of Texas at Austin; Director, ETHIC
Todd Richardson · General Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Alyssa Watson · Senior Associate, ADL Ventures

The Future of Demand

The military is emerging as one of industrialized construction’s clearest opportunities for demand at scale. NAVFAC has outlined 5.4 million square feet of new industrialized construction across its 3–5-year program—a pipeline representing more than $3 billion in potential construction at current cost assumptions.

More important than the volume is the shift behind it: aggregating projects, standardizing requirements, and using more flexible procurement to give industry the certainty needed to invest, build capacity, and deliver faster.

Speakers
Karthik Bharat · Director of Military Construction Programs, NAVFAC
Dr.Tim Sullivan · Director of Facility Engineering, U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center
Colby Swanson · Partner, ADL Ventures · Moderator

When Industrialized Construction Beats Site-Built

Does industrialized construction actually cost less, and where do its advantages show up once schedule, financing, quality, and delivery risk are included? This IHS26 session gets specific about the economics of industrialized construction. The speakers examine factory and site costs, scale, standardization, schedule certainty, risk allocation, design decisions, affordable housing, multifamily delivery, and the conditions under which modular construction can outperform conventional site-built approaches.

Speakers
Justin Stewart · CEO, Synergy Modular
Andy Miller · CEO, Vantem
Colby Swanson · Partner, ADL Ventures · Moderator

AEC Roles Must Change For Industrialized Construction

Industrialized construction cannot scale while architecture, engineering, construction, and manufacturing continue to operate as disconnected, project-by-project businesses. This IHS26 Solution Lab asks how architects, engineers, general contractors, manufacturers, and owners must evolve to deliver repeatable building products at scale. The discussion examines information flow, standard interfaces, design for manufacturing and assembly, the changing role of the general contractor, open-source building systems, horizontal supply-chain integration, and the need for owners to create programmatic demand. It closes with practical actions for designers, builders, manufacturers, software providers, and owners.

Speakers
Josh Lobel · Industry Strategy Manager of Industrialized Construction, Autodesk
Bill Seery · Director of Prefabrication, Consigli
Vaughan Buckley · CEO, Volumetric Building Companies
Nolan Browne · Partner, ADL Ventures · Moderator

What America Can Learn From Global Industrialized Construction

What can the United States learn from countries that have advanced industrialized construction further? This IHS26 session looks at the policies, production systems, and market conditions that have helped industrialized construction mature abroad—and which lessons can realistically transfer to the U.S.

The conversation covers shared standards, demand aggregation, procurement reform, factory investment, automation, and advanced manufacturing. It also examines where the comparison breaks down: America’s fragmented codes, regional markets, project-by-project demand, and delivery culture mean the U.S. will ultimately need its own path to scale.

Speakers
Menno Hilberts · Former Managing Director, citizenM
Cooper Lane · President, True Volumetric Corp
Daniel McCrum · Associate Professor, University College Dublin
Rommel Sulit · Founding Principal & COO, Forge Craft Architecture + Design · Moderator

AI, Robotics, and the Future of U.S. Housing Production

What will the next generation of U.S. housing supply look like? This IHS26 session brings together leaders across manufacturing, building components, robotics, and academia to examine how industrialized construction can expand the country’s capacity to deliver housing at scale.

The conversation explores factory utilization, the gap between portfolio-scale demand and fragmented supply, workforce and trade organization, automation, robotics, and AI. Together, the panel looks at what it will take to move these capabilities from individual projects and factories into a more scalable domestic housing production system.

Speakers
Rick Murdock · CEO & Co-Founder, Autovol Volumetric Modular
Sean Shields · Director of Strategic Partnerships, Structural Building Component Association
Ramtin Attar · CEO & Co-Founder, Promise Robotics
Dr. Chris Rausch · Assistant Professor, The University of Texas at Austin · Moderator

Who should Own what in IC?

Industrialized construction changes where decisions get made and who is responsible for them. This IHS26 session looks at how traditional roles start to shift when design, manufacturing, and site delivery become more tightly connected.

The conversation explores where responsibility should sit, how manufacturers can influence design for production, and why more decisions need to move upstream. The panel also looks at lessons from aerospace and automotive, digital workflows, logistics, tolerances, and the need to define interfaces before teams reach the field.

Speakers
Spencer Padgett · CEO & Co-Founder, Ghost Factory
Walter Stender · Director of Systems Engineering & Modernization, Silver Creek Modular
John Cerone · Principal, SHoP Architects · Moderator

Does IC require full integration?

Industrialized construction depends on coordination across design, manufacturing, and site delivery, but that does not always mean putting every function inside one company. This IHS26 session examines how different operating models can work and where projects tend to break down between organizations.

The panel explores vertical integration, factory networks, productized housing, contracting, and the scope gaps between offsite and onsite work. A recurring theme is that speed inside the factory only matters if the rest of the project can keep pace. Successful delivery requires clear interfaces, aligned teams, and workflows that connect from design through installation.

Speakers
Vikas Enti · CEO & Co-Founder, Reframe Systems
Michael Mathews · CEO & Founder, ASSEMBLAGE Works
Ken Semler · CEO & President, Impresa Modular
Ryan Legg · Founding Partner, Intentional Growth Partners · Moderator

How can AI become a trusted layer in housing delivery?

Industrialized construction depends on information moving across owners, designers, contractors, manufacturers, and operators. This IHS26 session asks whether AI can help coordinate that process and what has to be in place before owners can trust it.

The conversation covers AI agents, data standards, security, auditability, permissions, and human accountability. The panel examines how AI could connect fragmented systems, automate specific workflows, and carry knowledge from one project to the next, while keeping authoritative information and clear decision-making underneath it.

Speakers
Aaron Holm · Founder, Helix & Rhizar
Franklin Fernandez · NAVFAC EXWC
Jay Kline · Program Director, NIBS
Nolan Browne · CEO, ADL Ventures · Moderator