Heidelberg Makerspace

The Heidelberg Makerspace is a community-based makerspace located in Heidelberg, Germany, a town with many colleges and a population of about 150,000 souls. The space is located in the basement of the Heidelberg Cultural Center, which is part library, part school, and a place for cultural events for the town. Heidelberg Makerspace was founded in 2014 and has a little over 40 paying members that utilize the equipment on a regular basis. Every Wednesday night the makerspace is open to the public and will provide tours and tutorials on equipment. Members of the Heidelberg Makerspace are expected to contribute to the community by documenting their work through project logs. In addition, members are expected to help with the running of the space by attending to issues left by other members. This chapter explores the Heidelberg Makerspace.

TechCreate

TechCreate is a relatively small makerspace, much like an open classroom, located in a mixed-use industrial park. It was founded as a for-profit space, with the intention to create a community of makers for the outer Dublin area. Because adult memberships have been slow to grow, the space has pivoted towards small-scale manufacturing services and, at the same time, provides educational services to youth in the community. While learning communities for adults are largely non-existent, the space works diligently to provide opportunities for youth to work in teams and in near-peer combinations to foster a sense of community. Most youth participants in the space start the experience with TechCreate by taking a six-week basic coding class and from there may choose to specialize in making by joining a making club for youth or may choose to take an intermediate level coding course and then join a coding club. This chapter explores TechCreate.

Dundee Contemporary Arts Print Studio

The Print Studio is part of Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA), an organization located in the downtown area near the River Tay on the East Coast of Scotland. The print studio evolved from a number of different art collectives beginning in the 1970s. They were located in the city and provided facilities and equipment for artists to develop their skills. Recognizing that the arts could revitalize a city devastated by a vacuum left by a shift in their industrial base, the city funded the building of a modern arts center with cinemas, a print studio, and large exhibition galleries for world-renowned artists to display their work. Additional funding allowed the print studio at DCA to purchase digital fabrication machinery to investigate the interface of mechanical and digital making processes: in particular, studying how traditional processes can be enhanced with contemporary technology to revitalize and preserve the antique. This chapter explores the Dundee Contemporary Arts Print Studio.

Green Fab Lab

Green Fab Lab is nestled in the Catalonian area of Eastern Spain in the mountains surrounding the metropolis of Barcelona. Located on what once was a vacation and hunting ground for Spanish royalty, the Valldaura Estate, which houses the Green Fab Lab, sits on 130 hectares of forest. The site is part of a movement to be self-sufficient and sustainable, using locally sourced material. The current space is one of many Fab Labs in Barcelona and is part of the IAAC (Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia), which is a world-renowned school of modern architecture. The space is about 2152 ft2 (200 m2), with a full complement of Fab Lab equipment and machines as well as a small bio space. Within the space, learning communities are often developed through the communication of students in the Fab Academy, Bio Academy, or Zero courses and local gurus in the space or in the community. This chapter explores the Green Fab Lab.

TOG Hackerspace

The TOG Dublin Hackerspace has been in existence since 2009 with a membership base of 73 users in 2017. The space is located in central Dublin, Ireland within easy walking distance of a number of public transport areas. The space is a not-for-profit business with shareholders and associate members who hold voting rights. The stated objectives of the space are to advance science, technology, modern culture, and the creative arts in the Dublin area. As such, the space is strictly non-commercial and does not provide manufacturing services. The space does not provide areas for or encourage start-ups or other types of commercial activity and self-police of members' activities. Known for its rubber duck mascot, TOG participates in a number of community-based activities like the Dublin Maker Faire and other events. The space also organizes a number of events and workshops open to the public and for members to connect and create learning communities around machines and group interests. This chapter explores TOG Hackerspace.

NOD Makerspace

NOD Makerspace in Bucharest, Romania is located in a renovated cotton factory that was built when Romania was under communist rule. It's fitting that NOD has transformed the space to become a beacon of entrepreneurship and innovation within Bucharest. NOD is the first makerspace in the city, with studios in the areas of digital fabrication, ceramics, metal and woodworking, computing, and textiles. The space also provides offices for small businesses and startups, which is an integral part of the mission of NOD. Open since 2015, NOD has continued to grow by taking over the ground floor of the factory, which will house more studio space for businesses and startups. NOD is committed to entrepreneurship and innovation but at this time struggles to find a balance between the younger generation of makers and the current professional makers of NOD. This chapter explores NOD Makerspace.

MADE Makerspace Barcelona

The MADE Makerspace in Barcelona, Spain is a small community-based, all-volunteer makerspace in the heart of the city center. Located in an old factory building occupying about 187 square meters (2,013 ft2), the space is a little crowded, and the building in need of a refresh. Inside the space there is a woodshop, digital fabrication studio, and electronics area. MADE Makerspace uses three different technology “channels” to keep their members aware of happenings in the space. Even more impressive, the space is using an electronic channel to provide an update on members' projects, including those that are under consideration and not started yet. From this channel, new members and existing members can find experts in project areas that match their interests. MADE does not have an abundance of curriculum but does follow a hands-on, problem-based learning approach to teach members about making. This chapter explores MADE Makerspace Barcelona.

Lexicon Lab

The Lexicon Lab provides library visitors interested in making an introduction topics such as 3D design and printing, virtual reality, and computer programming using microcontrollers, among many other topics that arise during open meeting times. The workshops for adults are meant to encourage learners to pursue certain technologies and provide them with the confidence to get started in these areas. Located in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, the Lexicon Lab occupies around 100m2 in the impressive Lexicon Library, opened in 2014. While establishing learning communities is difficult in a space that is public and free of charge, strategies have been adopted to help learners connect and learn from each other. The space has greatly benefited from the Trinity School of Computer Science and Statistics Bridge21 model of pedagogy, brought to the lab through Jake Byrne, a consultant and Creative Technology Curator at the Lexicon Lab. In this learner-centric model, technical knowledge and skills are developed through inquiry in a social context, leading to a deep interaction with the content. While not fully implemented in the Lexicon Lab, the model provides an effective framework for teaching and learning in the makerspace. This chapter explores the Lexicon Lab.