Soria housing congress promotes industrialization to address shortages

The VIII ITE+3R Congress, held in Soria, concluded with a call to address the housing crisis through industrial construction, administrative simplification, and the mobilization of existing housing stock.

Hugo Manzano, Director General of Housing and Urbanism for Castilla y León, emphasized that industrial building—using integral panels or modules—offers a faster, more precise alternative to traditional construction. This approach is seen as a way to mitigate labor shortages in skilled trades and improve production speeds.

The congress highlighted a significant shift from a culture of home ownership toward a rental-based market, noting that current rental offerings are not sufficiently structured to meet demand. Participants advocated for increased public rental housing, more land availability, and reduced regulatory overlap.

Additional recommendations included the urgent modernization of electrical infrastructures to support electrification and the use of digitalization and artificial intelligence to overcome labor deficits. The next edition of the congress is scheduled to take place in Valladolid.