MANILA - Danish conglomerate Connovate has forayed into the Philippine construction scene using a technology that could help build “more refined” affordable housing, its founder said Monday.

The company, in partnership with Emma Imperial’s Imperial Homes Corp, is building its first project in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, Connovate founder and Ambercon CEO Torben Engaard said in an exclusive interview with ANC’s The Boss.

"We’re starting with affordable housing. It is a bit more refined than low-cost housing. We started out at the affordable stage and from there we can move from the mid-income market and progress," Engaard told ANC's The Boss.

Connovate has introduced the ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) in the country that uses very small amount of cement.

He said its strength gives it “significant advantage” over existing methods while making the construction process safer.

“Instead of using a lot of traditional concrete, we use very little but it has a strength that’s really giving this product the significant advantages that we need to get a good setup. It’s very durable to typhoons,” Engaard said.

“What I notice was you use a lot of scaffolds at your traditional building sites. When you use the Connovate system you don’t need scaffolds. You connect it, you erect it and you can start painting right away,” he added.

Engaard said imports compose only 15 percent of the total construction costs, which means the weakening peso only has "minimal" impact on operations.

The company is now focused on "scaling-up" operations in the country where volume is expected to follow suit. Connovate and Imperial Homes also plan on bringing the same technology to India, Vietnam in the future.

"To be frank with you, it’s not absolutely about the money, it’s more because I can see the vision that Emma Imperial has in the region and wants to create affordable homes for the people of the Philippines," Engaard said.

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