Drinks and Drafts Conference on Lean Construction

With a focus on social inclusivity and stakeholder alignment, the session offered a powerful look at how Lean principles can transform the renovation process – making it more efficient, participatory, and fair.

From Theory to Practice: Lean Construction Tools in Action

The session kicked off with a focused training that introduced participants to the Lean construction mindset. In parallel Spanish and English sessions, InCUBE partners Metro7 and ZAVI led the presentation, giving participants the theoretical background behind this planning framework.

The central message: Lean is not just about streamlining timelines – it’s about reducing waste, encouraging coordination, and putting people at the heart of renovation efforts.

Hands-On Learning Through Collaboration

Following the training, participants joined a 1-hour interactive workshop designed to apply what they had learned to real-world challenges. The session was structured around small group work, with each group supported by an InCUBE facilitator.

Highlights included:

• A 5S Icebreaker Game, using a numbers-based challenge to illustrate how organization and process clarity improve performance.

• A case study presentation featuring renovation challenges at the Zaragoza demo site, bringing the theory into focus.

• A collaborative LPS planning activity, where groups iteratively improved a construction timeline for a residential renovation. The exercise emphasized how Lean tools lead to more inclusive and reliable scheduling, especially when engaging with end users and local communities.

• An Herringbone worksheet task, asking teams to quickly document how they would address a specific social inclusion challenge through Lean methods.

Driving Dialogue and Decision-Making

The workshop closed with a structured discussion and a live polling session. Participants reflected on how Lean tools could be applied to support safety, accessibility, and engagement on construction sites. The real-time polling allowed attendees to vote on which tools they found most useful, with results displayed instantly to foster further conversation.

Making Meaningful Connections

After the workshop, attendees gathered for networking drinks—but this wasn’t just a casual meet-and-greet. InCUBE organized a matchmaking activity that grouped internal and external stakeholders based on shared interests such as circularity, AR/VR, training modules, or gender equity in construction. The format encouraged meaningful connections and idea-sharing, setting the stage for future collaboration across disciplines and countries.

Toward Inclusive Renovation Practices

This training and workshop highlighted Lean Construction not just as a technical toolkit, but as a philosophy of inclusive, transparent, and stakeholder-driven project delivery. By building shared understanding and encouraging co-creation, InCUBE continues to pave the way for more equitable and sustainable renovation across Europe.