“Innovation for sustainable construction obviously involves inventing new solutions. But this is not enough. These innovations, if not deployed at scale, don’t have enough impact.”_R.P. been based on building homes with communities and volunteers, we realized about ten years ago that this approach alone would not be enough to meet the global need. Today, more than 2.8 billion people still lack adequate housing, according to the UN. It is this reality, and because we are convinced that innovation is essential to meeting this challenge, that Habitat for Humanity created the Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter. At the Terwilliger Center we don’t directly build or focus solely on new materials and designs. Instead we aim to transform markets to better serve low-income communities. After all, the key issue is not the lack of innovation but the failure of market systems to provide affordable housing for those who need it most. Our mission is therefore to use innovation to drive market change and create scalable solutions. Do we need to reinvent everything to build sustainably? C. M.O.: I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes, it’s about looking at solutions that have worked in the past but may have been overlooked; or identifying solutions that are working in other parts of the world. We simply need to adapt those ideas through an iterative process of learning and collaboration. If something works elsewhere, why can’t it work for us? The way buildings were designed in the past lacked digital tools, and the process involved a lot of trial and error to make buildings more robust. Now, with the advent of digital tools, one of the biggest innovations is the rapid advancement in building design. These tools are evolving and becoming more integrated, making our designs more reliable and efficient. Cities are increasingly using data for future scenarios to assess building performance and enhance efficiency, supporting carbon reduction goals while prioritizing resilience. In essence, the solutions were always there; innovation is just helping us take them to the next level. R. P.: At the Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, our approach isn’t centered on the next breakthrough design or product; rather, we focus on transforming systems and markets to more effectively serve low-income populations. This often means helping industry players rethink supply chains, optimize cost structures, and reach new market segments, specifically low-income households. Personally, I feel more comfortable with the word ingenuity than innovation. Ingenuity is about taking something existing and adapting it, tweaking it to serve a new purpose. Take our work in healthy housing and vector-proofing, for example. We
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