New EBC president

Rinaldo Incerpi has officially started a three-year term as the new president of the European Builders Confederation (EBC), after his election at a general assembly in June.

He served for several years as president of CAN Costruzioni, a confederation representing the interests of craftsmen and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Italian construction sector.

Incerpi said, “The construction industry has witnessed important changes owing to fast-moving digital transformation, new energy efficiency targets and a strengthened focus on environmental sustainability.

“As we continue on our path of recovery and growth, we can only meet these challenges if we strengthen our co-operation with the other stakeholders of the construction value chain, now more than ever.”

The former president, Patrick Liébus, from whom Incerpi has taken the mantle, expressed a similar concern with the importance of collaborating on the challenge of improving energy efficiency.

At the confederation’s recent 2018 annual conference, which focused on the energy efficiency of historical buildings, he said, “To improve energy efficiency in Europe requires effort from all sectors, but especially from the construction sector, as buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO₂ emissions in the EU.”

He went on to suggest that all segments of the construction industry, including historical buildings, must contribute if EU targets are to be met.

To successfully marry tradition with innovation, Liébus said, “Traditional construction methods need to be complemented with the latest developments in the field of digitalisation, circular economy, and energy retrofitting.”

It was said at the conference that better awareness of digital tools is required to facilitate retrofitting works, and training programmes are needed to preserve and develop the necessary skills for renovation.

Liébus said, “The construction sector needs a holistic approach to meet these challenges, in which the expertise of our construction SMEs and craftsmen has to play a pivotal role.”