Open Design City

Monday's the regular date for tinkerers, Arduino enthusiasts and DIY artists at Open Design City.

So, we're open from 7:30 pm (no admission) for you to bring your ideas and projects (finished or not) and meet other creative people and share your knowledge.

Every Monday night, 7:30 pm at Open Design City (betahaus, Prinzessinnenstraße 19-20).

The future will see more special nights and workshops. Also, Open Design City is still being built by its inhabitants. So if you want to get creative space-wise and wield some power tools, come by Monday night!

So far regulars include, arduino tinkerers, robot builders, knitters, and laser cutter makers

On Thursday 13th at 10 am Open Design City will open its doors for round 2 of building the city.

Where last time we built with card, this time we will be building in wood, foam, wire, cork board and bio-plastic. We will begin constructing the physical and emotional space around us.

We want you to bring your visions into the mix, what you would like to learn, build and create? Propose how you would use the space for the greater good, what can you do for the city, and what can the city do for you?

Expect chaos, a mess, and great opportunity in the middle of it all.

Help us construct an open logo, means of communication and documentation, storage solutions, upgrade tools, and design the signs. Make your mark, make it your space.

Earn the right to call yourself an Open Design City Citizen, and create a space that you want to use.

Finish up with a nice Barbecue, a few beers, and the prospect of enjoying the benefits the space will bring you.

NB: Showing up doesn't oblige you to build something, you're welcome to come by and see what's going on. There are many ways to contribute to what we are creating. You may find and identify your own way. The key to the City is an open mind and the willingness to share.

For years we have dreamed of a space to play, to build and collaborate. An environment where ideas are shared. A playground for design, making and experimentation. At www.palomar5.org, I was able to enjoy such a space, albeit for 6 weeks. Post event I felt a longing to return to this Bubble, to feel the energy of a room full of dynamic individuals creating in and shaping the space around them.

Now the time has come - Open Design City is officially open for residents.

We intend to develop the space in an open and transparent manner. We want citizens, not consumers of services.

The core vision is here. If you would like to be a part of this we would love to have you. A philosophy best described in one word - Share.

If you would like to be a part of this exciting revolution, then we will be running a space building workshop next Thursday (13th May), where we'll finish up with some beers and a Barbeque. Bring your passion, your desire, your ideals and ideas and together we can create something sustainable and truly special.

For those that just can't wait, or can't make it, come on down to Betahaus during the daytime and you'll be sure to find one of us to talk to and join in the fun.

For the pragmatically minded we will soon be listing tools, resources, skills and workshops. Watch this space.

Open Design City, is more than a workshop, it is a collaboration space in which new relationships and projects will be formed between it's citizens. Open Design City is a space that encourages the sharing of tools, knowledge, ideas and skills. It is a space to explore the principles of Open Design.

Open Design is design for the commons. Products that people are free to make, adapt, modify and build upon. The barriers to entry and access should be minimal. Open design products by their nature should be delivered in beta, perceived not as complete but continuously evolving, in dialogue with the user and the world.

To this end Open Design citizens should seek to share their work with the world according to the above principles. We shall be exploring with you new methods of monetisation and reward, and will support you in this quest.

The guideline for Open Design City is one word.

Share

Share yourself
Share your tools
Share your time
Share your ideas

We look forward to sharing the space with you.

Check the video: cnc milling, viewed 90 deg. rotated

So, hier ein paar Eindrücke von meinem Projekt "Mosaik-Gartentisch": Erstmal wird das Gestell geschweißt. Die elliptische Stahlplatte hab ich übrigens per Wasserstrahl zuschneiden lassen, ist gar nicht so teuer.

Hallo,

meine Werkstatt im betahaus ist in Kürze einsatzbereit, vielleicht schon morgen. Als erstes werde ich ein paar Teile für Mocontronic-Messedemos cnc-fräsen, dann Teile für ein individuelles PC-Gehäuse (praktisch als etwas klobiger Monitorfuß, aber ohne Kabelsalat und frei konfigurierbar, semi-portabel und extrem leise).

Und für private Zwecke wollte ich noch einen Rahmen für einen Gartentisch schweissen. Mein Universal-Elektroniksteuerung für Schulprojekte müsste ich auch demnächst mal fertigmachen und eine schlichte/schicke Schreibtischlampe aus Metall mit LED-Technik möchte ich mal bauen...as time goes by...Möchte irgendwer mitbauen oder hat ähnliche Ideen?

Viele Grüße

Axel

Open Design City @ Betahaus from Palomar5 on Vimeo.

As everything, this site is very beta, just an empty blog by now. We will shape it and find out how to share our ideas and findings with everyone of you.

For starters, here is the Open Design City announcement from the betahaus blog:

It might have been around for a couple of weeks already: We are about to add a new ingredient to the betahaus DNA this april. Together with palomar5, lasernlasern, bausteln and Mechatronik Werkstatt Berlin we will set up Berlin’s first fablab in the back of betahaus and it’ll go by the name of Open Design City and it will be delivered in beta. yay! Thanks to the fellows above we already have got: a) a CNC router, b) a lasercutter, c) a makerbot, d) tools, some materials, workbenches, awesome space, good coffee.

Now we are looking for makers, baustlers, designers, DIY people, architects, disciples of arduino, open design or Gyro Gearloose or Doctor Snuggles that want to take the journey with us to berlins first fablab and beyond.

Our initial offer is a 200,- €/month membership that includes the use of the betahaus office space as well as the use of the fablab and it’s machines. We will figure out the rest, once you are there.

If you want to be part of it, please contact odc@betahaus.de very quickly. We do have very limited space and time to set this all up and once the workspace ist sold out, it will take a while until we will be able to provide more space. Also if you think you have got a valuable machine to contribute to the fablab, get in contact with us. We will make a special offer for those that bring stuff.

All of us were thinking, planning, talking, thinking again, planning again, talking again about all the “hows” and “whens” regarding the foundation of a fablab the we finally figured out, the best way would be to deliver in beta and walk on from there together. We all believe, that the time couldn’t be better to start making and are excited like hell where this all will lead to.

Looking Forward to your Feedback
Your Open Design City Team

If you are part of the team and want to start hacking on this site or just need an account to start blogging as well, please drop me a line!