Casais Group and ACR have formalised their strategic alliance by creating CREE Iberia, a fifty-fifty joint venture. The new partnership has the exclusive licence on the Iberian Peninsula to manufacture the industrialised timber-hybrid components of the CREE Buildings system. As such, it is poised to promote, develop and expand its range of application within the region.
The establishment of CREE Iberia is a new milestone in the collaborative effort of its JV partners, both of whom have experience in industrialised and sustainable construction. One of the new company’s objectives is to improve the sector’s response in the face of several ongoing challenges: productivity, the need for shorter turnaround times, improvements in the quality of execution, and efficiency in the use of materials as well as the decarbonisation of the built environment.
This new company will usher in a more finely tuned focus on coordinating the commercial, technical and operational development of the CREE system in Spain and Portugal. CREE Iberia will work directly on projects initiated by Casais Group and ACR, but will also seek out opportunities to engage with clients, property developers, and, if market conditions are favourable or the nature of the project warrants it, work with selected local companies whose capacity complements the project itself.
This alliance rests squarely on the experience already gained by both partners. Casais Group has followed a determined strategy of industrialisation, with its own capacities in terms of pre-production, engineering, BIM, MEP integration and complementary industrialised solutions. ACR, for its part, is firmly established in the Spanish market, has construction experience and is continually investing in more collaborative construction models that are both more efficient and more sustainable.
The two companies have already worked together on flagship projects using the CREE Buildings system, one of which is the B&B Hotel Madrid Tres Cantos, a development project in Madrid which showcased the potential of industrialised timber-hybrid construction.
António Carlos Rodrigues, CEO of the Casais Group, said, “CREE Iberia is a new phase in our investment in industrialisation. Construction needs more predictable and collaborative systems that have less environmental impact. ‘This joint venture with ACR gives us the wherewithal to combine industrial expertise, technical know-how and a local presence to accelerate the commercialisation of a solution that could play a significant role in transforming the sector in the Iberian Peninsula.”
Michel Elizalde, Chairman and CEO of ACR, noted that, “The creation of CREE Iberia reinforces a commitment we have been pursuing for years: to build better, using more industrialised processes with greater predictability, and more sustainable solutions. Collaborating with Casais Group allows us to share knowledge, expand our capabilities and make significantly more progress in projects where CREE Buildings can offer exceptional value to the Spanish and Iberian markets.”
CREE Iberia will focus its activities on projects where industrialisation can create greater value, particularly in the hotel, student residential accommodation, senior living, housing, flex living market segments, and in the construction of other assets where repeatability, speed, quality and sustainability are key factors.
The new company will also promote technical collaboration between teams, continuous improvement of the system, coordination with suppliers, the development of complementary solutions, and research into certifications and sustainability criteria that apply in the Iberian market.
CREE Buildings is a timber-hybrid industrialised system, based on a timber and concrete composite and combined with other prefabricated components, all of which is designed to develop buildings in a more efficient, flexible and sustainable manner. Its approach allows for the integration of design, engineering, manufacturing, logistics and project execution from the earliest stages, promoting greater predictability in the construction process.
Through this partnership, Casais Group and ACR are reinforcing their commitment to a more industrialised and efficient approach to construction, one that is better aligned with European objectives on sustainability, circularity and reducing environmental impact.
