Grupo Casais and ACR formalized a strategic alliance to create CREE Iberia, a 50%/50% jointly owned company that holds the exclusive license for the hybrid industrialized system CREE Buildings in the Iberian Peninsula, aimed at promoting, developing and expanding its application in the region, as disclosed in a press release.
According to the same source, the creation of CREE Iberia marks a new stage of collaboration between two companies with experience in industrialized and sustainable construction. The objective is to increase the sector’s capacity to respond to some of its main challenges: productivity, shorter lead times, quality of execution, material efficiency and decarbonization of the built environment.
The new company will allow closer coordination of the commercial, technical and operational development of the CREE system in Portugal and Spain. CREE Iberia will work on projects promoted directly by Grupo Casais and ACR, as well as on opportunities developed jointly with clients, developers and, when the characteristics of the project or market advise it, through selective collaborations with local companies that bring complementary capacity.
The alliance relies on the accumulated experience of both companies. Grupo Casais has developed a ‘solid’ strategy of industrialization, with in-house capabilities in prefabrication, engineering, BIM, MEP integration and complementary industrialized solutions. ACR, in turn, counts on a ‘strong’ presence in the Spanish market, experience in construction and a continuous commitment to more collaborative, efficient and sustainable construction models.
Both companies have already collaborated on reference projects with the CREE Buildings system, including the B&B Hotel Madrid Tres Cantos, developed in Madrid, which demonstrated the potential of hybrid industrialized construction in terms of planning, technical coordination, sustainability and execution.
António Carlos Rodrigues, CEO of Grupo Casais, notes that CREE Iberia ‘represents a new phase of our commitment to industrialization. Construction requires more predictable systems, more collaborative and with lower environmental impact. This alliance with ACR allows us to combine industrial knowledge, technical experience and local presence to accelerate the application of a solution that can play a relevant role in transforming the sector on the Iberian Peninsula.’
Michel Elizalde, president and CEO of ACR, points out that the creation of CREE Iberia ‘strengthens a bet we have been pursuing for years: build better, with more industrialized processes, greater certainty and sustainable solutions. Collaborating with Grupo Casais allows us to share knowledge, expand capabilities and advance more strongly in projects where CREE Buildings can add a differential value to the Spanish and Iberian market.’
CREE Iberia will focus its activity on projects where industrialization can generate greater value, especially in segments such as hotels, student housing, senior living, housing, flex living and other assets where repetition, speed, quality and sustainability are key factors.
The new company will also drive technical collaboration between teams, the continuous improvement of the system, supplier coordination, the development of complementary solutions and research into certifications and sustainability criteria applicable to the Iberian market.
CREE Buildings is a hybrid industrialized system, based on the combination of wood, concrete and other prefabricated components, designed to develop buildings in a more efficient, flexible and sustainable way. Its approach allows integration from the early stages to conception, engineering, manufacturing, logistics and execution, promoting greater predictability of the construction process.
With this alliance, Grupo Casais and ACR ‘reinforce their commitment to a more industrialized, more efficient construction and more aligned with Europe’s sustainability, circularity and reduction of environmental impact objectives,’ the note concludes.
