International Code Council Co-Sponsors 2026 Innovative Housing Showcase

The International Code Council (ICC) remains committed to helping deploy innovations that address housing affordability, including off-site construction, and returned as co-sponsor of the 2026 Innovative Housing Showcase. Hosted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the event took place from Sept. 22-24 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Building safety professionals, manufacturers, builders and policymakers came together from across the nation to promote solutions addressing the affordable housing crisis.

This year’s theme, “Made in America,” commemorated America’s 250th birthday, spotlighted private sector ingenuity in housing development and inspired future generations of skilled trades workers with the first-ever Showcase Trades Day.

Safety and Affordability Go Hand-in-Hand

Ryan Colker, Executive Director, Energy, Resilience & Innovation, ICC, was among the panelists who participated in the discussion, “Modernizing How America Builds” (Sept. 24, 12:00-12:45 p.m.).

Partnering with HUD on the 2026 Innovative Housing Showcase, ICC can help facilitate the deployment of new ideas, technologies and practices. With innovations spread across the National Mall, the event also presents an opportunity to demonstrate that codes and standards are not a barrier but actually an opportunity to bring these new ideas and innovations into the marketplace.

“We’re really excited to help support that work,” said Colker.

Colker also affirmed that safety and affordability go hand-in-hand and that ICC is focused on bringing solutions that help industry and communities achieve their goals.

“Part of that includes providing consistency through standards, educating code officials and local officials on different technologies and processes,” said Colker. “[It also includes] supporting jurisdictions as they implement digital processes and bringing efficiency to the permitting process.”

Innovations Designed to Make a Difference

Colker took a moment to highlight two areas in which innovations can make a difference. First, he noted ICC’s work with the Modular Building Institute (MBI), which includes the development of unified ICC/MBI standards for off-site and modular construction.

“Working with the Modular Building Institute, [we] have developed standards that help support consistency [for what] factories need to do to prove that their products meet the market needs,” said Colker.

ICC also launched the Approval & Construction Accelerator, which features a curated catalogue of homes and ADUs with pre-approved plans and builders ready to deliver.

“[It provides] communities and potential homebuyers with not just pre-approved plans, but manufacturers, local designers and builders that can actually bring those homes to fruition,” explained Colker. “So [we’re] really seeing opportunities within the regulatory space to provide the consistency that we need to bring these innovations to market.”

Automation and Robotics Will Have an Impact

Colker also spoke about how automation and robotics can be integrated into the manufacturing process. For example, robots could potentially carry and transport heavier loads than humans alone, allowing factories to haul and use materials that are in much larger scale.

“Which [would] actually reduce waste, reduce time to assemble them in the factory,” said Colker. “We’ve also been looking at automation to help in the quality assurance process. As panels or units are coming down the line, how do we assure more quickly, more accurately, that what’s being built is meeting the code requirements, meeting the safety requirements? Leveraging automation really helps that process go even quicker.”

Lastly, Colker spoke about how the three-year code cycle allows new technologies to be implemented while making room for the inclusion of lessons learned from disaster events.

“We’re keeping up with what’s going on within the industry, what the need is,” said Colker. “And then I think the other important step is that education of assuring that folks on the ground understand what the various products are, how they’re best installed, how they operate. It’s important to really engage with code officials, designers and other people in the process to make sure that they have confidence that what they’re getting is actually meeting their needs and meeting their requirements.”

To learn more about off-site construction and access related resources, visit ICC’s dedicated webpage here.

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