ABSTRACT
Housing production systems have historically been site-based, project-based enterprises. While numerous agencies, research papers and policy advocates repeat the mantra that buildings consume at least one third of global final energy, and that changes to construction industry policies, designs and practices for energy efficiency are essential, they rarely take time to address the structure, conduct and performance of the actual built environment industry and its activities that so urgently need to be transformed. The sites and practices of builders are brought centre stage. The chapter examines emergent low carbon new housing experiments and the emergent materials and practices of housing production to speculate on future trajectories of housing production and practice. The house building industry is critical to prospects for low carbon housing in cities, yet the structure, conduct and performance of the industry is rarely considered seriously in formulating plans and policies towards this end.
