> Now we build some awful little cardboard box and slap an HVAC system on it as if tech makes up for bad design.

This is really infuriating. I lived in a small town which was full of houses built decades ago for workers building hydro plant close by. They were supposed to be temporary and really deserve to be knocked down these days. But they still function... with multiple split system ACs heating them up.

Even if they're money/energy sinks, people don't have enough savings to invest in a more efficient rebuild.