Sekisui House U.S. CEO David Viger on bringing Japan-inspired resiliency to U.S. homes

When Osaka, Japan-based Sekisui House bought MDC Holdings, the parent company of Richmond American Homes, for $4.9 billion in 2024, the company not only made a long-term bet on the American market but also reinforced its commitment to bringing its resilient and sustainable building practices to the U.S. In an announcement following the acquisition, Sekisui House CEO Yoshihiro Nakai underscored this mission when he proclaimed that the expanded company would “become a one-of-a-kind entity in the U.S. by combining Japanese and U.S. technologies.” The company, the seventh-largest homebuilder by sales volume in HousingWire’s inaugural homebuilder rankings, is now making good on that pledge. Sekisui U.S. has already unveiled eight of its signature, highly sustainable and resilient SHAWOOD-branded communities, and has active plans to deliver more. Sekisui House, alongside other Japan-based real estate giants such as Sumitomo Forestry and Daiwa House, continues to expand its presence in the American market. Recent estimates now peg Japanese firms’ share of the U.S. homebuilding market at 6%, and this share is growing at an accelerated pace. According to the HousingWire Homebuilder Rankings...