A Guide to Implementing a Makerspace in a Corporate Environment
While in graduate school at The University of Texas: School of Information, I interviewed professional makerspace directors and researched makerspace implementation to create the following guide. Since graduating and joining IBM, I have been working to implement a makerspace within the IBM Cambridge office. I have included my pitch deck at the bottom of this guide. Please feel free to reach out with any questions!
Background
What is a makerspace?
The makerspace is a facility that is curated for the specific purpose of being used to make, learn, and explore, using high-tech and low-tech tools. These spaces are open to kids, adults, and entrepreneurs and have a variety of maker equipment including 3D printers, laser cutters, risographs, cnc machines, soldering irons and even sewing machines. A makerspace however doesn’t need to include all of this equipment to be considered a makerspace. The contents of a makerspace is really dependent upon the audience it serves and the budget. In the past 5years makerspaces have gained in popularity, not only in the school system, but also in the work place and people’s homes. Their growing numbers make them a significant grassroots movement supporting informal learning. Much of their success centers around supporting a culture of life-long learners, and creating a community for people to skill share and explore their interests. It is obvious that the makerspace is a natural fit in the education sector, and even as community fixture, but what about the workplace?
Why do companies need makerspaces?
Many organizations are beginning to incorporate makerspaces into their office to scaffold the development of a collaborative and innovative culture. Additionally, many believe that a makerspace increases employee engagement in the office. A makerspace can initiate long-term culture change and adjust the workplace to support employees and their creativity. Additionally, the space can strategically be used by team managers as a team-building activity to ensure team cohesion. Each makerspace is unique to each company and the goals associated with the makerspace. I interviewed 3 makerspace directors to better understand their spaces, their communities, and their challenges.
Interviews
Alexandra, Former Organizer of Airbnb’s Common Studio
What is the name of your corporate makerspace?
The Common Studio
Who advocated for the creation of your makerspace?
Airbnb’s Art department leaders wanted a space where designers could do hands-on work, so part of their interest in hiring me was that I’m also a bookbinder/printmaker and had worked in studio settings, so could help them develop that further. When Tim Belonax (formerly of FB and instrumental to their Analog Lab) joined the team, he brought his enthusiasm and knowledge to the table and we were able to start building the space. If it weren’t for the support of Andrew Schapiro, the Creative Director at the time, Common Studio never would have come to fruition.
What was that person/team’s platform for why a makerspace was needed?
Airbnb was originally founded by 2 designers, Joe Gebbia & Bryan Chesky, and the ethos of making things from scratch and engaging in the creative process runs deep. I think that really set the stage for a space like the Common Studio to come into existence. As the company expanded rapidly, there was a need and desire to maintain a sense of community within teams and throughout the company as a whole. My team members in the Art Department are some of the most creative and thoughtful people I’ve had the pleasure of working with, and it’s people like them who made the space what it was. Whenever there was a birthday or celebration, people made things for each other — perhaps the most elaborate example is the handmade piñatas that designer Andrea Nguyen personalized for her team members, but it could be as simple as making birthday cards, posters, even t-shirts at one point.
What equipment do you have in your maker space?
3D printer, foil stamper, hydraulic guillotine, 2 plotter printers, vinyl cutter, exposure unit, washout booth. Also, lots of tools and materials — paint & drawing materials, bookbinding hand tools, cutting mats, exact-o knives, everything you would expect to find in a print studio.
What equipment did the space start out with?
The original workspace for designers was a big drafting table with tools and supplies. We shared the space with the photo team, and the Environments team, who are the ones who had the 3D printer which I think they purchased originally to print mini Airbnb listings and used subsequently to help conceptualize future Airbnb office spaces. All of these things were the starting point for the Common Studio.
How much were the startup costs of your makerspace?
$30k if I remember correctly.
Who was the makerspace built for?
The idea was for it to be a workspace for the Art Department, particularly the design team. The other goal was to create a space where teams from all over the company could take a break from the computer and their very rigorous jobs, and engage in an activity that utilized another part of the brain, and re-grounded them in their bodies. That was always my goal, at least! I’m a very visual and hands-on learner, as are so many others, so my intent with every activity and workshop was to help people connect back to the innate creativity that we all have, but that doesn’t always get exercised in our day-to-day tasks.
It was also a great recruitment tool. Each new hire at Airbnb goes through a week of on-boarding where they visit each department and get an overview of what each team does. When people came to the Art Department, we have a tutorial on the foil stamper and helped folks make their own leather bélo keychain with their start date on it. They chose the piece of leather, and the color of the foil, and each person came away with a unique memento from their first week at the company.
Who primarily uses the makerspace?
A variety of employees and teams used the space. I think the most successful gatherings in the Common Studio were the team-building workshops. It was especially rewarding to work with people who came into the space thinking “I’m not a creative so I can’t make anything good” and left feeling surprised and excited by what they had made collaboratively.
The workshop I taught most often was the collaborative poster workshop — teams would come up with an idea together, then each team member would create a piece of the composition with cut paper. Together, the team would arrange the pieces on the exposure unit until everyone was pleased. After the screen was exposed, each person took a turn washing the screen out, then we would print a run of this collaboratively made poster. All decision — from the color and size of paper, to the color of the ink — were made together. The result was an edition of team-made prints and a strong sense of camaraderie.
Does your makerspace offer programming/classes? If yes, how often?
I can’t speak to the current programming, but when we were starting out I basically told people who were interested to put time on my calendar and I would teach them how to use the equipment. There’s definitely a learning curve when it comes to studio practice, so I did a lot of trainings with a lot of different people to try and create a sense of shared responsibility for the space. Once there was a group of folks interested, it was just a matter of saying yes to the group of people who wanted to use the space for team-building, and then facilitating those activities in the space.
In an ideal world, of course there would be dedicated programming and classes, but the reality is that when a space is at work, people have to be able to utilize it at their own pace and schedule. I think the most successful spaces offer a lot of different things taught by volunteer employees who are passionate about what they’re sharing and in turn spread that enthusiasm to learn and share with others. I think it has to grow organically in order to be truly successful and sustainable.
Who oversees programming?
I did while I was still with the company, but i’m not sure who’s owning it these days!
Does your makerspace have paid staff?
I can’t speak to the current staffing, but while I was still at the company, a number of people who were paid staff pitched in to keep the place clean and running smoothly. We didn’t really have a dedicated staff just for the space, just other employees who were passionate about it and spent time in there.
How long has your makerspace been in operation?
It started in 2015, I’m not sure if it’s still running these days.
Patrick, Creator of IBM Austin MakeLab
What is the name of your corporate makerspace?
Austin MakeLab at IBM.
Who advocated for the creation of your makerspace?
I was the main advocate for the makerspace. I started by having a space hack and that inspired people to make a make lab.
What equipment do you have in your maker space? What equipment did the space start out with?
The first equipment was screen-printing. We hosted special printing days with all from home equipment. We asked for donations at first. Next, we put together a proposal and included stats of how much time people were spending in the MakeLab. Then we took over a space in the IBM studio. Set up there. Eventually awe sked for funding ($5,000). With these funds we bought: an automatic printing press, 3d printer, vinyl cutter, bread boards, Arduino, soldering equipment.
How much is the monthly budget of the makerspace?
Obtained quarterly funding to buy ink and screens.
Who was the makerspace built for?
IBM employees.
Who primarily uses the makerspace?
Primarily designers. People primarily passionate about printing.
What is the primary goal of the makerspace?
Switch from all digital all day especially in enterprise, can be diff. and gives them space to breathe and keep their creative skills. Keeps people in the studio and creating in the IBM space. People are still adding to the culture. Quantified it as hours spent in the studio. And quantified the number of the things made there. This is what we passed off to IBM for proposal. This shows how we are adding to the culture of IBM.
Does your makerspace offer programming/classes?
Weekly 3 hr screen printing basics. Then people could use space on their own.
Had a few “intro to circuitry” session. Less frequent.
Does your makerspace have paid staff?
No
How long has your makerspace been in operation?
The Austin MakeLab was founded 2014.
Tim, Director of the Pinterest Makerspace
What is the name of your corporate makerspace?
I’ve been involved with 3 different maker spaces in my career so far: Facebook’s Analog Research Lab, Airbnb’s Common Studio, and the Workshop at Pinterest.
Who advocated for the creation of your makerspace?
When I arrived at Pinterest, their maker space was already up and running. A small group of engineers had cobbled together a variety of tools in an industrial meeting room. The engineers paid for materials through their team building and personal education budgets. They started out with a CNC router, chop saw, a variety of wood working hand tools, an air filtration system, shopvac, and a 3D printer.
What equipment do you have in your maker space?
They started out with a CNC router, chop saw, a variety of wood working hand tools, an air filtration system, shopvac, and a 3D printer.
Who was the makerspace built for?
The space is simply a space for people to make things. It aligns with the goals of the company because we don’t want people just sitting on our platform Pinning all day. We want people to do things.
Does your makerspace offer programming/classes?
The small group that now runs the space has ad hoc classes for specific tools, but the demand isn’t very great. The maker slack channel at work is probably 10–15 people.
Recommendations
After talking with subject matter experts and researching makerspaces, I have developed recommendations for you to begin your own makerspace within your organizatoin. These recommendations are specific to folks who are creating a makerspace that is not institutionalized, but rather grassroots.
Before beginning any makerspace, the facilitator of the space should address 3 critical questions:
· What are you making?
· What are you storing?
· How will the space be managed?
Answering these questions will provide the context you need to successfully being the building process of your space.
Equipment
The three most common pieces of equipment found in makerspaces are:
· The screen printer
· The 3d Printer
· The paper cutter
These 3 pieces of are low safety risk, have low barriers to entry, and quickly produce results. Many of these pieces can easily be found on craigslist or in enthusiast personal homes. This would be a good equipment base to begin a small, corporate makerspace. The supplies associated with each give the user creative choice in color and design, allowing for a sense of ownership in production.
Programming
The most common programming offered in grassroots makerspaces focuses on equipment training. There are 2 typical approaches to training. The people running the makerspace either
1) Run periodic trainings
2) Run trainings based on request
Additionally, other programming has included one-off events, such as “screen-printing night” where an expert facilitates and co-workers are introduced to a new making method. This is low commitment for the facilitator and gets people in the makerspace
Budget
Most makerspaces that aren’t institutionalized first must prove their worth before they are given funding. There are 3 things to measure and report to management if you plan on making a budget proposal.
1) Employee engagement
a. Measure how many people have been using the space.
b. Measure how long people are spending in the space
c. Detail out what projects people are collaborating on, highlighting cross-pollination across departments and the formation of new relationships.
2) Proposed budget to maintain or grow.
a. Propose the most basic budget to maintain operations
b. Propose a budget that will help the makerspace grow in engagement. Directly link costs to projected engagement.
3) Management structure
a. Outline how the makerspace will be managed. Details the roles of each person involved.
b. Identify communication channels between makerspace management and makerspaces users.
Cambridge MakeLab at IBM
Currently, I am working to implement a makerspace at IBM within the Cambridge office. Below is the pitch deck I put together to receive funding for the makerspace and programming. I also put together an analysis of space options within the Cambridge building to house the makerspace (however, I will not be sharing this document due to IBM privacy policies).
Sources
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Oliver, K. M. (2016). Professional development considerations for makerspace leaders, part one: Addressing “what?” and “why?”. TechTrends, 60(2), 160–166.
Purpur, E., Radniecki, T., Colegrove, P. T., & Klenke, C. (2016). Refocusing mobile makerspace outreach efforts internally as professional development. Library Hi Tech, 34(1), 130–142.
Oliver, K. M. (2016). Professional development considerations for makerspace leaders, part two: Addressing “how?”. TechTrends, 60(3), 211–217.
P. Chew, personal communication, April 24, 2019.
T. Belonx, personal communication, May 27, 2019.
A. Williams, personal communication, April 24, 2019.
Musick Peery, K., & Chivers, M. (2018). Intentionally Cultivating Diverse Community for Radically Open Access Makerspaces.
Why Does Your Office Need a Makerspace? (2018, October 25). Retrieved from https://formaspace.com/articles/workplace-bulletin/your-office-needs-a-makerspace/
Clark, A. S. (2018, June 6). IBM Launches New Maker Space [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.cbronline.com/news/ibm-launches-new-makerspace
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Starting a Makerspace? Your Beginner’s Guide. (2017, September 12). Retrieved from https://smithsystem.com/smithfiles/2017/07/29/starting-a-makerspace-beginners-guide/
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Barnecut, S. (n.d.). The art of messing up and making things | Relate by Zendesk. Retrieved from https://relate.zendesk.com/articles/makerspace-art-of-making-things-and-messing-up/
APPLYING DESIGN THINKING TO CREATE EFFECTIVE MAKERSPACES. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://muse.union.edu/ele-symposium/2015/04/26/hans/
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What is a Makerspace? Is it a Hackerspace or a Makerspace? (2017, March 15). Retrieved from https://www.makerspaces.com/what-is-a-makerspace/