On Thursday 2 October, the Institute of Construction Technology of Catalonia (ITeC) held the tenth edition of the Lean Conference, a meeting that has already established itself as a benchmark for professionals in the construction sector committed to the transformation towards Lean, more efficient and collaborative models.

Under the slogan “Collaborate or Compete”, the conference —organized by ITeC with the collaboration of AEICE, BIMETRIC, CGATE and the Lean Committee— focused on the importance of collaborative work and hiring as drivers of change towards a more sustainable and integrated sector.

A symbolic space for a debate on the future

The event took place at the Casa de la Llum de SIMON, in the 22@ district of Barcelona, a building renovated under a collaborative contract by Constructora Calaf and designed by the architect Fermín Vázquez (b720). More than a hundred professionals attended the conference, led by Montse Duran, head of the Lean field at ITeC.

Collaboration and cultural change

The conference was structured in three thematic blocks, combining presentations, round tables and a collaborative workshop.

The program, structured in 3 thematic blocks, combined presentations, round tables and a very participatory workshop among all attendees.

Block I “Collaborate or compete” began with the initial interventions of Jesús Bayarri (VIVARE) and José María Jaquet (Lean/IPD consultant), who addressed the keys to collaborative work and its legal framework. This was followed by a debate with representatives of companies such as COMSA (Javier Martínez), VHIO (Sergi Simó) and Constructora Víctor Tormo SL (Victor Tormo), in which it was concluded that to be competitive, all agents must collaborate, and that the key to the success of this model lies in people and their willingness to work in this way.

Block II “Success stories of collaborative contracting” featured presentations that exemplified real cases in the residential, health and urbanization fields: Cristina Llamas (VISESA – Housing and Land of the Basque Country), Ismael Martínez (Zerocity), Noelia Barriguete de Oro (Sando) and Noelia González (CatSalut). This was followed by a round table with the four speakers, moderated by Víctor Roig (BIMETRIC), in which it was highlighted, from the perspective of the people, how collaborative work changes compared to the conventional model.

During the workshop, led by Ferran Bermejo, technical director of ITeC, the attendees identified the main challenges for implementing collaboration in the sector: mistrust, resistance to change, complexity of the regulatory framework and the need for training.

Concrete actions were also proposed to overcome existing barriers, such as simplifying legislation and fostering public-private cooperation, creating commissions and forums for advancement, and promoting collaboration between associations and lobbies. The results obtained represent a valuable starting point for analysing the current context and defining a roadmap to promote the development of collaborative contracting.

In block III, representatives of AYKOS Healthcare (Jorge Cuevas), Grupo Avintia (Susana López) and Constructora d’Aro (Magda Blázquez) shared real experiences of collaborative contracting and industrialization, highlighting the benefits in execution times, efficiency, quality and sustainability.

A paradigm shift

According to the organization, the growth of the Lean community shows that the construction sector is moving towards a more cooperative model:

“This year we have seen many new faces. The community grows and the barriers begin to be broken,” they pointed out from the ITeC.

The institute thus reaffirms its commitment to a future where collaboration, trust, continuous improvement and innovation are the pillars of a more efficient and sustainable construction.