Impressed by Hitler's Autobahn, Dwight Eisenhower spearheaded the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 for the national interstate highway system. Again, Kiewit helped with the undertaking. Compared to the globalization driving much of the construction industry, the localized nature of home building seems almost quaint. The inherent uncertainties are reflected by the routine turnovers in the industry's top ranks. Architects have complained that their profession seems stuck in the past, particularly in regard to home building.
Home building is more personal in nature than nonresidential construction.
The builders' customers are individuals and families, who are usually trying to build a nest, not make a statement. Some slow progress toward building sleek, energy-efficient houses has been made. Autodesk first found its place on the drawing desk by selling software that ran on ordinary PCs instead of million-dollar giant computers. Home construction is a good business, at least in recent years. In 1997 low mortgage interest rates helped boost new home sales to about 800,000 nationwide, while single-family housing starts totaled 1.1 million.