Industrialization brings factory-style processes into the construction sector, enhancing productivity and introducing a high degree of automation. It encompasses research and innovation in mechanizing and assembling components in a factory setting, applying these techniques to prefabricate various elements like bathrooms, facades, and technical partitions.

This approach is faster and more sustainable, minimizing waste and requiring fewer energy resources, while also simplifying maintenance.

Bathrooms and facades are among the first elements to undergo this industrialization, according to Mónica Silva Laiz, Head of Building at Sacyr Engineering and Infrastructure Engineering department in Spain.

"Industrialised construction is here to stay, and we are today one of the pioneering companies in carrying out this transformation. It is a new way of conceiving construction," explains Mónica Silva.

Sacyr is implementing industrialization as a key component in projects across Chile, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy.

In Chile, we operate a factory assembling prefabricated bathrooms for three hospitals: Sótero del Río, Cordillera, and Buine Paine.

The construction of the Milan Hospital in Italy also incorporates industrialized bathrooms and facade sections.

In Spain, we've employed these factory processes at the 12 de Octubre Hospital, installing prefabricated GRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete on a metal frame) facades, among other elements. These methods are also being implemented in residential developments across several Spanish regions.

At the New Velindre Cancer Center in Cardiff (Wales, UK), we're constructing prefabricated facades using light steel frames with external finishes in wood and copper sheets, incorporating windows and glazing. The facade modules are manufactured in Spain and shipped to the UK for on-site assembly.

Furthermore, through the Valdesc project, we're exploring a novel industrialized construction system for facade envelopes using recycled materials, ensuring high rates of circularity and decarbonization. This system will enhance thermal efficiency and simplify component dismantling, combining efficiency, productivity, and safety. 
 

Ana Aurora Grande Barriga

Gerente de Sistemas de Gestión 
Dirección de Calidad, Medio Ambiente y Energía

La nueva Ley de Movilidad Sostenible marca un antes y un después. Por primera vez, se reconoce la movilidad como un derecho ciudadano, accesible e inclusivo. 

Además, se refuerza la financiación estatal al transporte urbano, se avanza en la digitalización del sistema de transportes y se establece el objetivo de alcanzar la neutralidad climática en el sector.

Entre sus pilares destacan:

•    Movilidad limpia y sana: el transporte representa el 29% de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero en España. La ley exige avanzar hacia la descarbonización y la neutralidad climática en el sector del transporte.
•    Digitalización e innovación: se crea el Espacio de Datos Integrado de Movilidad (EDIM), que centralizará información sobre movilidad.
•    Incremento de la inversión, se garantiza el acceso a los fondos europeos para proyectos de movilidad, con cerca de 10.000 millones de euros disponibles.
•    Reconocimiento de la movilidad como derecho: con especial atención a la protección de la financiación estatal del transporte urbano.

¿Qué implica para empresas como Sacyr?

Este proyecto de ley establece que los centros de trabajo con más de 200 personas o 100 por turno deben contar con un Plan de Movilidad Sostenible al Trabajo (PMST). Este plan debe ser negociado con la representación legal de los trabajadores e incluir medidas que prioricen la movilidad activa (como caminar o ir en bicicleta), el transporte colectivo, el uso compartido del coche, los vehículos de bajas emisiones y el teletrabajo cuando sea posible.

Además, se establece la posibilidad de designar un gestor de movilidad que coordine la implantación de estas medidas. Cada dos años, se deberá elaborar un informe de seguimiento, y cualquier incumplimiento puede acarrear sanciones de hasta 6.000 euros. 

Además, los intercambiadores de transporte y carreteras concesionadas deben cumplir con criterios de eficiencia energética, como: 

-    Certificación en sistema de gestión ambiental y de la energía (ISO 14001/50001)
-     Verificación de la Huella de Carbono 
-    Utilización de energía procedente de fuentes renovables y contratación de energía con garantías de origen renovable.

¿Qué estamos haciendo?

Desde la Dirección de Calidad, Medio Ambiente y Energía de Sacyr, ya hemos puesto en marcha varias iniciativas que nos acercan a los objetivos de la ley. Contamos con aparcamientos para bicicletas y patinetes eléctricos, puntos de recarga para vehículos eléctricos, flota de vehículos eléctricos e híbridos para los trabajadores, y fomentamos el uso del transporte público a través de Sacyr Flex, nuestro programa para adquirir tarjetas de transporte. También promovemos y sensibilizamos al personal sobre el coche compartido, que además genera beneficios económicos para los conductores, gracias a los Certificados de Ahorro Energético (CAE) aprobados por e Gobierno de España. 

La flexibilidad horaria, la formación en conducción eficiente en nuestro manual de buenas prácticas ambientales y el fomento de herramientas informáticas de trabajo colaborativo que reducen los desplazamientos entre centros de trabajo son otras medidas que ya forman parte de nuestro día a día.

Además, disponemos de una flota de vehículos eléctricos y coches híbridos (con combustibles menos contaminantes, como el GLP), que también genera CAE’s con beneficios económicos para la empresa. Priorizamos los traslados de trabajo en tren, en sustitución del avión, que es más contaminante. También estamos incorporando el uso de biocombustibles (que puede reducir hasta un 90% de las emisiones netas de CO2 en comparación con el combustible de origen mineral).

Mirando hacia el futuro: oportunidades que se abren

La ley no solo exige, también inspira. Abre la puerta a proyectos piloto de innovación y digitalización en movilidad, fomenta la colaboración público-privada para el desarrollo de vehículos automatizados. 

En el ámbito de la construcción, promueve infraestructuras sostenibles como terminales de transporte, carriles bici y edificios energéticamente eficientes. Además, fomenta el transporte ferroviario, con el desarrollo de nuevas autopistas ferroviarias, para el transporte de mercancías y de personas.  En el área concesional, se impulsa la intermodalidad entre bicicleta y transporte público, y la recarga eléctrica rápida en autopistas. 

Además, se prevén subvenciones para empresas que desarrollen sus PMST, lo que representa una oportunidad para seguir avanzando sin perder competitividad.

En definitiva, este proyecto de ley nos reta a ser parte activa del cambio. En Sacyr, estamos preparados para liderar el camino hacia una movilidad más limpia, inteligente y humana.

The project, funded by the Science and Innovation Missions Programme (CDTI), is being carried out by a consortium led by SisTem and with the participation of Sacyr Conservation, Alsa, Vodafone, Anteral and Grupo Infonorte. With a budget of four million euros, it was launched in October 2024 and will last until December 2025.

A safer, more connected and smarter road

Iconica's objective is clear: to transform road infrastructure into active components of mobility.

To this end, the consortium is working on solutions that:

•    Improve road safety through smart and predictive technologies.
•    Facilitate real-time communication between vehicles and infrastructure over 5G networks.
•    Integrate elements such as intelligent beacons, capable of transmitting alerts or even modifying the use of lanes depending on traffic.
•    Increase the protection of vulnerable users, such as roadside workers, through their geolocation and communication to digital navigation platforms.

The role of Sacyr Conservation

Within the Iconica project, Sacyr Maintenance leads two key lines of research. On the one hand, it develops IoT geopositioning devices to signal temporary or mobile works, which will be integrated into the STEP (Safer Transport for Europe Platform) platform.

Secondly, it investigates flexible beacons, which allow additional lanes to be opened or closed remotely, based on traffic prediction algorithms that use data from the infrastructure and the connected vehicles themselves.

"We already have a prototype of beacons installed in a project in Huelva to study their resistance to the passage of heavy vehicles and the effects of heat, rain and dust," explains Álex Otero, innovation project manager at Sacyr Engineering and Infrastructures.

Iconica is integrated into Vodafone's STEP mobility platform, which centralizes data and informs drivers about incidents on the road, such as workers, objects on the side of the road or stationary machinery.

The data and incidents collected are communicated to STEP and also shared with DGT 3.0 (Spanish Traffic Authority), which makes it possible for applications such as Google Maps, Waze or Here to alert drivers of possible risks on their route.

Another of Sacyr Conservation's lines of work focuses on traffic modelling and prediction. The behavior of traffic on the A-3 is currently being analyzed with the aim of planning works, causing as few disruptions as possible to users and anticipating traffic jams.

"The most important thing for Sacyr Conservation is to improve safety and protect people who work on the road, geolocate them and alert drivers in real time," adds Álex Otero.

Patricia Muñoz Pequeño
Sustainability Manager
Strategy, Innovation and Sustainability Division

In hindsight, sustainability reporting has undergone significant changes in recent years. Gone are the days when companies like Sacyr, with unwavering commitment and sensitivity to these issues, voluntarily provide information relevant to their ESG strategies and performance using internationally recognised frameworks, with GRI at the forefront.

With the adoption of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NRFD) in 2014, and its Spanish transposition in Law 11/2018, sustainability reporting became a legal obligation and, since that time, the importance of these reports has only grown.  

In 2023, with the goal of defining a clear framework for sustainability reporting that would ensure the quality of the information published, data comparability, and the consistency of the information shared by companies, the European Union approved a new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) with common reporting standards known as the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).

But misgivings and opposition to this new regulation soon arose from the private sector; first, due to the technical complexity and breadth of its requirements and the difficulty of implementing them, highlighting the need for further clarification in certain areas, as well as greater flexibility in their application. 

Secondly, the smaller companies affected expressed doubts about their capacity to comply with this new regulation using their own resources and the potential damage that would be caused by the additional costs required for this purpose. 

The foregoing is paired with a deeper reflection on the part of the European Union; in a complex international environment facing major global changes, ensuring the autonomy, competitiveness, and resilience of the European economy without abandoning the sustainability commitments it has made, has become more crucial than ever.  

This has prompted the EU to redefine its roadmap, while keeping its ambition intact, as demonstrated by i) the strategy of the Green Industrial Deal, designed to strengthen the competitiveness of European industry while accelerating decarbonisation, and ii) the Omnibus Package, the main objective of which is to reduce the administrative burden on companies when reviewing various sustainability regulations, without renouncing the principles of the European Green Deal. 

From a reporting perspective, the Omnibus Package affects CSRD requirements as follows: 

-    Simplification of standards, reducing the number of requirements and providing greater technical clarity in their application. These texts are expected to be available in Q4 of 2025. 
-    Two-year postponement of entry into force for companies, allowing more time to adapt. 
-    Redefinition of application thresholds, excluding listed SMEs and modifying the ranges for the rest. 
-    Maintenance of limited assurance, eliminating the possibility of reasonable assurance in the future.  

In short, 2025 marks a turning point in this area, reflecting the European Union’s commitment to moving toward a more sustainable economy without jeopardising business competitiveness.