The European Builders Confederation (EBC) represents the construction small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and crafts at the EU level. We have spoken to Fernando Sigchos Jiménez, its Secretary General, to learn more about his motivation for creating a better construction industry and his aim to make a positive impact in the sector through HumanTech.
“The EBC team looks forward to engaging further with our HumanTech partners and all stakeholders interested in how to deliver a safer and more sustainable construction sector, as this is the way forward for such a pivotal sector for the European Union.”
Previously in charge of EU projects and communication, and before that of social affairs, he has spent the last decade representing, defending, and promoting the vision of small companies in the construction sector.
Read our interview with him:
Q: Fernando, what drives you at a personal and professional level?
A: In Europe, there is a growing pressure for environmental and social sustainability, with digitalisation as a key factor in achieving them. These societal challenges motivate me as a person, a European citizen and a specialist in European affairs and construction.
A political scientist by education, with construction, I was caught up in the willingness of a sector to evolve, adapt and face up to its responsibilities to keep contributing to society, the economy and the environmental efforts in the European Union — despite being perceived as male-dominated, facing heavy and dangerous tasks, handling a difficult working environment, or being considered unattractive to young people. To change this image and showcase the sector’s evolution motivates me to chip in.
“In Europe, there is a growing pressure for environmental and social sustainability, with digitalisation as a key factor in achieving them. These societal challenges motivate me as a person, a European citizen and a specialist in European affairs and construction.”
Q: Construction is indeed a sector that faces great challenges and where much remains to be done to achieve necessary improvements in terms of safety, diversity, sustainability and efficiency. How fortunate we are that your motivation drives the change we want to see and that we are working together to achieve it!
Now, tell us about your organisation, the European Builders Confederation. What is your focus and what have you set out to achieve?
A: EBC is the voice of the most down-to-earth actor in the construction sector. Those who put their hands to work to ensure that European citizens have quality homes, buildings, and infrastructure. EBC represents the national associations of SMEs and craftsmen in the construction sector, which are important active actors for local, regional, national and European economic activity.
Always open to optimising the way they work, construction SMEs are aware of their strategic role in efforts to decarbonise the built environment, to improve the health and safety of their workers or to achieve inclusive digitalisation in the European society, and are therefore interested in initiatives and projects that allow them to do more in these fields.
“Construction SMEs are aware of their strategic role in efforts to decarbonise the built environment, to improve the health and safety of their workers or to achieve inclusive digitalisation.”
Q: Now, let us know about EBC’s role at HumanTech. What activities are you working on?
A: By bringing the approach and perspective of construction SMEs and crafts to the consortium, at EBC we aim to bridge the manifest gap between the fast-paced development of innovation and the real uptake of technology by the overwhelming majority of small companies in construction.
Our role in European projects is mainly to provide a reality check. Does the innovation in design or development bring real added value to small construction companies? Is it technically and financially accessible? Is it presented suitably to trigger interest?
We are excited to help the HumanTech team answer these questions by also being involved in the usability assessment of the technologies, promoting awareness and developing new approaches to training for the upskilling of the current and future workforce.
“At EBC, we aim to bridge the manifest gap between the fast-paced development of innovation and the real uptake of technology by the overwhelming majority of small companies in construction.”
Q: Your role is essential to ensure that the technologies we are developing best suit the needs of the sector’s companies and their workers. What is the positive impact you hope to generate through our project?
A: The health and safety of construction workers is paramount. So is attracting new talent to meet the sector’s environmental, social, and economic demands and ambitions. Taking the time to see how the sector’s digitalisation can address both needs is very important.
We consider HumanTech proactively addresses these issues. Its final findings will be taken as a reasoned consideration of how to maintain a human-centred approach in a sector that is set to evolve digitally and environmentally. In this sense, the nascent technologies put forward in the context of HumanTech could lead to a significantly improved work environment at construction sites once mainstreamed and upscaled.
“The nascent technologies put forward in the context of HumanTech could lead to a significantly improved work environment at construction sites once mainstreamed and upscaled.”
Q: We hope so! And can’t wait to see more of our advances towards creating a safer, greener, more efficient industry — attractive to a younger generation of skilled workers.
What about the milestones you hope to achieve?
A: Endeavouring towards bridging that gap between innovation and SMEs in the construction sector, EBC’s involvement in HumanTech will mainly consist of providing critical feedback on the usability of technology, defining an SME-friendly training programme and appropriate communication.
As the technical developments of HumanTech become more mature, EBC will play a significant role in the objectives of training, marketing, and sharing information on this innovation with construction SMEs, all actors in the construction value chain and policymakers.
Q: We are really looking forward to it! Beyond HumanTech, what do you think are the keys to achieving greater sustainability in the sector?
A: In the context of the EU’s flagship strategy for climate neutrality, the European Green Deal, all sectors have a role to play towards achieving this goal by mid-century. Construction is no exception, and this constitutes a major challenge and a very ambitious target objective for the entire ecosystem. More effort is needed to achieve a climate-neutral building stock. However, this is a collective, collaborative exercise along the entire construction value chain, without which a real transition or paradigm shift will not be achieved.
Given their omnipresence in the sector, one of the keys will be to embark on SMEs in this green and digital transition. SMEs need time to adapt but are fully aware and already engaged in a path towards more sustainable use of resources out of ecological awareness, social responsibility, and economic necessity.
“More effort is needed to achieve a climate-neutral building stock. However, this is a collective, collaborative exercise along the entire construction value chain.”
Q: And how do you think the human-centred technologies we are developing will contribute to creating a safer and greener construction industry?
A: The increasing digitalisation of professional activities in construction shows that there is a real potential for improvement, especially in complex but important areas like health and safety, energy performance or optimal use of resources.
By keeping people at the centre of innovation, we enhance the knowledge of SMEs and their entrepreneurs and workers, thus having a better chance of providing them with tools, methods or ideas that can make their work easier in many ways. Artisans, craftsmen, and SMEs place human capital at the heart of their activity, making them great partners for integrating accessible human-centred technologies in the construction process.
Q: How do you think technology will evolve in the construction sector? What impact will it have in the coming years?
A: The sector is still one of the least digitised sectors, so the potential for improvement is there. In EBC, we consider the sector’s digitalisation as an enabler, not a goal. For us, the human component remains fundamental in current and future construction, whatever its form.
Technology is likely to play an increasingly important role in relieving repetitive and heavy tasks, improving communication between professionals on site, and better anticipating and monitoring the life cycle of a building. We need to continue investigating how to develop tools that bring real added value to the daily activities of the sector’s professionals and work towards bridging the gap between innovation and its uptake and application on the ground.
“We need to continue investigating how to develop tools that bring real added value to the daily activities of the sector’s professionals and work towards bridging the gap between innovation and its uptake and application on the ground.”
Q: Ambitious projects are developing innovative technology solutions and making a difference in the construction sector. Do you know of any that have inspired you?
A: I sense a growing political interest in buildings, with better availability of funds for projects impacting the construction sector.
During my time as EBC’s Projects and Communications Manager, one project that particularly stood out for me was BIM4Ren. If its ambition to develop BIM tools to contribute to the energy renovation of buildings was already interesting, the commitment to make these tools easy to use and accessible in terms of training and financing for construction SMEs particularly impressed me. Often, the lack of consideration for the daily activity of small companies in construction, which struggle to cope with the impact of geopolitical and economic crises, which face a demand with limited human and financial means, which suffer from stereotypes and a lack of attractiveness, makes many initiatives disconnected from the reality to which they claim to contribute.
Apart from Fernando, his colleagues Elena Maria Petrich, Projects and Communication Officer, Jordi Calatayud, EU Projects Officer, and Spyros Mathioudakis, Policy Officer, are also part of our HumanTech team. Learn more about their work.
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