SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, March 26 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The president of the Provincial Federation of Construction Entities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Fepeco), Óscar Izquierdo, shows his strong support for the position of the European Parliament that all newly built buildings be equipped with solar technologies by 2028, when is technically suitable and economically feasible, while residential buildings undergoing renovation have until 2032.
“Europe must be decarbonised”, he indicated in statements to Europa Press in which he pointed out that the incorporation of “energy efficiency” into the construction of buildings must be accelerated and the circular economy promoted.
Izquierdo points out that the European and Canary Islands building stock is “old” and in line with energy efficiency, it is also necessary to work on “universal accessibility”, and not only with the construction of “ramps” to access the buildings but also inside of housing because “the pyramid has been reversed and the European population is aging”.
The president of the Tenerife builders also highlights that “houses have to be smart” and incorporate digitization at a time of transition in the sector in which the so-called “construction industry” is consolidating.
Thus, he points out that modular houses are already beginning to be made with new projects and more efficient models and with the premise that the construction “does not have an impact on the territory and deteriorates it.”
Izquierdo indicates that the island companies are “prepared” for this new construction model, with specialized personnel and “capacity” to absorb the demands of society, although he acknowledges that “lack of personnel” and the replacement of generations in the sector is not guaranteed.
“We need young people and women to join the sector, on site, to work on the pit. In Europe and the Canary Islands, young people do not want to join the sector, we have a real problem of generational change, young people do not want to enter and the women is only 11%”, details.
Izquierdo does not believe that construction, using energy efficiency criteria, is much more expensive and maintains that the increase in costs is due to the increase in basic construction materials, which have risen on average by 40% and with some materials “very hard to come by, like steel.
However, he insists that construction in the Canary Islands “is at the forefront of the EU’s green agenda” and that it is in the process of “modernisation”.
