Toolbar is a proposal for a self-organised prototyping lab by the students of Dpt. of Products & Systems Design Engineering (University of the Aegean), located in Syros.
The idea is to create an autonomous, equipped workspace, where students can exchange ideas and knowledge, work with shared resources and experiment with different techniques and methodologies, under a collaborative system.
The project was presented on AUTONOMA International Conference on Urban Autonomy and the Collective City,
which took place on Onassis Cultural Center in Athens, on July 2016.
The value of prototyping was one of the things that triggered the inspiration for this project. After explaining that, the project was analysed using operational planning tools such as
User's Journey | Service Blueprint | Business Model Canvas | Branding Analysis | UX Analysis
The Challenge
The department currently has a laboratory, which houses prototyping equipment (3d printers, etc.) and is managed by the University. However, due to lack of staff and organization, the lab is rarely accessible by students, and even when it is, it can only provide limited and very specific services. Our proposal aims to enable experimentations and offer students hands-on experience. This will cause the student community of the department, which is the only one in the island, to work, think and experiment collectively, or even showcase their projects to the rest of the community, while engaging with local communities creating new opportunities.
The Solution
Toolbar is a lab open to everyone. A shared, social workspace, managed by students and accessed by anyone at any time, under our common need of both personal and collective development, as well as the values of creativity, productivity and sustainability.
Shared equipment
Order consumable resources collectively
Open space availability for work and experiment commonly.
Also, it communicates the work of the department to the rest of the island, as well as gains an income to sponsor a part of its cost by
Availability for all residents of Syros
Bazaars and Workshops
Etsy shop and Website.
Such co-working spaces foster the “maker movement” and as such increase local production and autonomy.
Digital Platform
Design Brand Identity
