NAHB Mourns Passing of Former Staff Member Gopal Ahluwalia

Economics
Published

NAHB mourns the passing of Gopal Ahluwalia, a longtime NAHB staff member, on March 3. He was 94.

Ahluwalia served as vice president of research of NAHB for 32 years, overseeing the research, analytical and data needs of the association. He was responsible for the planning, development and analysis of the large volume of data that the organization collected from both primary and secondary sources. He also tracked trends in design, features, products and layout of new homes, as well as smart growth, environmental issues, green building, construction cost, cost of regulations and impact fees.

He continued in the field of home building research after leaving the NAHB, and lent his expertise to many publications and private companies as the owner of GBA Research and Consulting.

“Gopal was a much sought-after industry expert on housing and home building for decades,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “His residential construction research affected millions in terms of home design and the construction plans of NAHB members across the nation.”

“Gopal shared his wisdom and experience enthusiastically, mentoring many of us at the start of our careers,” said Rose Quint, NAHB assistant vice president of survey research. “On our behalf, thank you.”

Ahluwalia lived in Potomac, MD, and is survived by his wife, Brij; his son, Amit, and his wife, Seema; his daughter, Amrita, and her husband, Rudra Rai; and his grandchildren — Mira, Sachi, Neil, Devan, Dev and Leena.

Services will be held Friday and Saturday.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Advocacy

Jun 16, 2026

Podcast: How Missing Middle Housing Can Help Close Affordability Gap

On the latest episode of NAHB’s podcast, Housing Developments, CEO Jim Tobin and COO Paul Lopez are joined by NAHB member Justin Wood, a West Coast builder, to discuss how he is navigating the current market in Oregon and Washington state, and what solutions have been successful.

Economics

Jun 16, 2026

May Housing Starts Fall as Multifamily Construction Slows Sharply

Overall housing starts decreased 15.4% in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.18 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Jun 16, 2026

Housing Starts Weaken in May as Multifamily Construction Slows

Housing starts fell sharply in May, driven by a steep drop in multifamily construction. Meanwhile, single-family buildings also slipped amid high interest rates, rising construction costs and ongoing labor shortages.

Economics

Jun 15, 2026

Builder Sentiment Remains Weak Amid Affordability Concerns

Builder sentiment remains subdued as rising material costs, elevated mortgage rates and ongoing affordability challenges continue to strain the housing market.

Economics

Jun 12, 2026

Single-Family Permits Continue to Decline Through April as Multifamily Activity Strengthens

Through April 2026, residential construction activity remained uneven across housing sectors. Single-family permitting continued to soften compared with a year ago, reflecting persistent affordability challenges and elevated borrowing costs, while multifamily permitting posted solid gains supported by stronger activity in several regions.