Maklab BIN@sheffield

Bruce Newlands Founding Director

www.maklab.co.uk #themaklab facebook.co.uk/themaklab

MAKLAB is an open access digital fabrication space, that is available to people of all ages & backgrounds to make & repair ‘almost’ anything…..

We try to make some extraordinary technology & skills training available to ordinary people so that they can make.

It started with the simple idea to create a small fablab in Glasgow built around £20k personal loan finance. After receiving no support from 15no. funding bodies we sought support from the local authority. They helped us find £150k grant funding from Creative Scotland, The Scottish Government’s Creative Arts Agency to setup in The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Architecture & Design as a one year pilot supporting the creative industries & the public. The grant allowed us to both purchase machines and employ two full time staff in a 2500sqft first floor city centre gallery space. MAKLAB started May 2012.

We currently employ 4no. full time staff, 2no. part-time staff and have around 6no. regular volunteers who benefit in-kind in various ways through their interaction with us. The operational team are directed by a board of six people from diverse backgrounds, all with an interest in making / learning. We have over 250no. members and have had over 2000no. individual uses of our facilities over the past year. We are a ‘not for profit’ social enterprise setup as a company limited by guarantee and we are also a registered charity.

We offer free access to our workspace(s), hand tools, wifi, workstations, software & electronics tools. We offer a ‘pay as you go’ rate to all machines ranging from per minute rates for in demand items like the laser cutter through to half day rates for 3d scanning / digital textiles. We offer an annual tiered ‘membership’ (Student / Maker / SME) which gives regular users a 50% discount on all machine rates with other discounts for training, events & materials. We also work with ‘tenant staff’ – young professional makers who share our space and deliver skills training in kind for access to the equipment and use of the address.

We are based in Glasgow and have two city centre premises. Our main space is a 4500sqft ‘shop front’ studio for 3d printing / scanning / laser cutting, textile work, electronics, digital design, co-working and skills training / education events.

We regularly support recent graduates / young startups as a space to work from when they are without permanent offices & access to equipment, four examples include: + Fi Scott | www.MAKEWORKS.co.uk + Anna Marion | Jeweler & Rhino 3D Educator + Isla Munro | Costume Designer & Textiles Educator + Tom Walkinshaw | Alba Orbital Micro Satellite Founder

We offer a range of weekly training & skills workshops open to the public for low cost delivered by skilled practitioners.

Our second space is two adjacent railway arches, offering 6000sqft of light industrial workshop for ‘micro manufacture’ with capacity over multiple machines for large projects using sheet timber, plastics, metal & stone.

MAKLAB have co-founded the wood co-operative with four other social enterprises – Tog, GalGael, The Coachhouse Trust & Glasgow Wood Recycling – collectively we provide rehabilitation / employability skills training to long term unemployed / difficult to reach individuals often fighting mental health issues. thewoodcooperative.org

We have delivered 3 week long workshops to young people in partnership with The Princes Trust, taking participants through the design journey of creating marketable ideas from scratch to fabrication and e-commerce. We regularly offer free or low cost day workshops to local youth groups & schools as entry point into making generally, design thinking and digital fabrication. Projects are often based on their own geographical area and specific environment / identity issues.

We work with a variety of other local, regional & national partners to deliver a range of different skills training.

togstudio.co.uk

www.maklab.co.uk #themaklab facebook.co.uk/themaklab