Grupo Casais to Host “Connect to Build” Conference in Lisbon on Housing Industrialization
On September 24, the construction firm Grupo Casais will hold its “Connect to Build” conference at the Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon. The event will focus on affordable housing, the industrialization of construction, and innovative solutions for the sector. The conference is set against the backdrop of Portugal's significant housing challenges, which include supply deficits, rising costs, bureaucratic hurdles, and a shortage of skilled labor.
The initiative, titled “Affordable Housing and Industrialization: Scaling Solutions with Purpose,” aims to bring together industry experts, sector leaders, and institutional representatives to discuss the future of construction in Portugal. The event is free to attend but requires mandatory registration. It seeks to provide a platform for sharing innovative approaches to address one of the country's most urgent contemporary problems.
Portugal is currently facing a substantial housing deficit. Persistently rising property prices have made it difficult for many families to access adequate housing, while complex urban planning and construction bureaucracy delay projects that could otherwise alleviate supply pressures. The construction sector's capacity to expand is further limited by a scarcity of qualified labor and increasing material costs, which affect the financial viability of new developments. These factors underscore the need to rethink construction methodologies in terms of quality, efficiency, and environmental impact.
The industrialization of construction is presented as a strategic response to these issues. Methods such as modular solutions, off-site construction, and digitalization can accelerate building processes, reduce material waste, and provide greater cost and timeline predictability, all while upholding high standards of quality and sustainability. According to industry specialists, leveraging innovation and efficiency to make housing more accessible is a social commitment. The conference will explore how to scale these solutions to create housing that is not only faster to build but also more inclusive and sustainable.
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A central feature of the conference will be a roundtable discussion titled “How to respond to the housing urgency with scale and quality?” Participants will include Patrícia Viana, a lawyer and partner at Abreu Advogados, and Laia Andreu, the Country Manager of IKEA Portugal. During this session, a formal protocol will be signed between Grupo Casais and IKEA, establishing a strategic partnership to develop dignified, sustainable, and affordable housing solutions through industrialization.
A second roundtable, “Industrializing to democratize: the role of innovation in affordable housing,” will examine how new technologies and construction methods can transform the sector. The discussions will be moderated by journalist Paulo Ferreira of the media partner Observador. The event will conclude with remarks from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, highlighting the strategic importance of the topic at a national level.
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