ePIPE Meets HUD’s John Gibbs at 2025 Innovative Housing Showcase
ePIPE – Pipe Restoration Inc., a national leader in advanced pipe restoration technologies, marked a significant presence at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) 2025 Innovative Housing Showcase, held in September on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The annual showcase, themed “The American Home is the American Dream,” served as a high-profile platform for demonstrating groundbreaking solutions that address affordability, resilience, modernization, and long-term sustainability in U.S. housing. This year’s event explored the full spectrum of housing innovation—from construction and materials to infrastructure and rehabilitation—emphasizing the innovations shaping what the American home will look like in the decades to come.
As part of this national conversation on housing’s evolving future, ePIPE presented its patented epoxy barrier coating technology, a system designed to restore existing plumbing infrastructure without the destructive impact, delays, or high costs associated with traditional pipe replacement. The company’s demonstration highlighted how aging piping systems in homes and multifamily communities can be rebuilt “in-place,” extending their life span while minimizing disruption for residents—an especially urgent need as housing nationwide faces mounting infrastructure challenges.
A central moment of the event came when ePIPE’s leadership team met with John Gibbs, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R). Gibbs oversees one of HUD’s most influential divisions, responsible for coordinating federal housing policy, leading research on HUD programs, and advancing technological innovation across the housing sector. PD&R has long played an essential role in the development and testing of new building technologies, and under Gibbs’s leadership, the office has intensified its focus on solutions that can improve affordability, reduce maintenance burdens, and increase resilience for communities nationwide.
During discussions at the Showcase, Gibbs emphasized HUD’s continued commitment to evidence-based innovation, particularly tools and technologies that can help address the nation’s deepening housing affordability crisis. PD&R’s expanded research portfolio and new rounds of building-technology demonstration funding reflect an urgent push to evaluate and promote scalable solutions that lower construction and rehabilitation costs. This includes innovations that extend the functional life of existing buildings—an area where ePIPE’s technology directly aligns with federal priorities.
For decades, aging building systems have posed significant financial and logistical challenges to property owners, public housing agencies, and affordable housing providers. Traditional re-piping methods can be highly disruptive, requiring walls to be opened, residents to be relocated, and entire plumbing systems to be replaced. These processes often extend over many months and generate substantial waste. By contrast, ePIPE’s in-place restoration method provides a minimally invasive alternative. Its patented epoxy barrier coating is applied inside the existing pipes, creating a long-lasting internal lining that restores integrity and protects against future damage.
This innovative approach delivers multiple benefits:
- It reduces construction time significantly.
- It often eliminates the need for tenant relocation.
- It lowers overall project costs.
- It extends the lifecycle of existing infrastructure.
- It minimizes environmental impact by reducing demolition and material waste.
These advantages have contributed to ePIPE’s widespread adoption in both residential and commercial sectors and have generated strong interest among policymakers seeking solutions for aging public and affordable housing stock.
Some of the company’s most notable success stories include major projects completed for the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA) and Laguna Woods Village, the largest retirement community in California. LACDA, the state’s largest public housing authority, selected ePIPE to restore piping systems for thousands of units. The decision resulted in substantial cost savings—millions of dollars compared to full re-piping—and greatly reduced disruptions for residents. Laguna Woods Village similarly chose ePIPE to rehabilitate extensive piping systems across its large community, reinforcing the role of pipe restoration as a practical, non-destructive solution for long-term asset management.
At the Showcase, ePIPE demonstrated how its technology supports not only potable water systems but also sewer and drainage lines through its eDRAIN restoration service. This versatility underscores the company’s broader leadership in housing infrastructure innovation, addressing multiple critical systems that directly affect health, safety, and quality of life for residents.
The epoxy material used in the ePIPE process is approved for use in potable water systems and is specifically engineered to address issues such as pinhole leaks, internal corrosion, and the leaching of lead (Pb) or other contaminants into drinking water. With concerns about water quality and aging water infrastructure continuing to gain national attention, technologies that prevent contamination and preserve system integrity are more important than ever. ePIPE’s barrier coating helps property owners mitigate these risks while extending the service life of existing plumbing networks.
The company’s engagement with HUD’s leadership at the Innovative Housing Showcase highlights its alignment with national priorities around affordability, resilience, and modernization. As federal agencies, state housing authorities, and private developers increasingly seek solutions that reduce costs and accelerate rehabilitation, ePIPE stands out as an example of a proven technology that can be deployed at scale across the country.
By participating in the 2025 Showcase, ePIPE reinforced its commitment to supporting communities, improving infrastructure, and advancing the broader national goal of creating safer, more affordable, and more sustainable housing. As new policies and technology programs continue to shape the future of American housing, ePIPE’s restoration systems are positioned to play a key role in transforming how the nation maintains and revitalizes its aging buildings—one pipe at a time.
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