Fab Lab Barcelona

Fab Lab Barcelona (Fab Lab BCN) is a laboratory for digital fabrication and part of the global Fab Labs network. It was established in 2007 as the first Fab Lab in the European Union. ^{[1] [2]} The lab was founded by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). ^[3]

Located in the El Poblenou district of Barcelona, the facility occupies a former industrial building that has been adapted for research, education, and production activities. Fab Lab Barcelona is part of an international network of fabrication laboratories that share knowledge, tools, and practices related to digital fabrication and maker culture. ^[4]

Fab Lab Barcelona operates as a research and fabrication facility engaged in EU-funded initiatives that explore alternatives to centralized mass production. The lab investigates distributed design and local manufacturing ecosystems as potential models for production and innovation. Its research focuses on environmental monitoring, circular design principles, and socially engaged technologies, positioning the lab at the intersection of technological development and societal challenges. The laboratory is integrated into the global Fab Lab network, coordinated by the Center for Bits and Atoms at MIT. Through this connection, Fab Lab Barcelona shared methodologies, tools, and research outcomes with other fabrication laboratories worldwide. The lab supports experimental research that connects digital fabrication with urban innovation, education, and policy-oriented design research through the partnership with the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). ^[5]

The lab has been involved in various projects integrating digital fabrication with education, community participation, and research. Notable initiatives associated with Fab Lab Barcelona include the Smart Citizen environmental sensing platform ^[6] and the Distributed Design platform, which connects European designers and makers who work on alternatives to mass production. ^[7]

Smart Citizen Project

The ‘’’Smart Citizen’’’ project is an environmental sensing initiative that originated from Fab Lab Barcelona. The project centers on citizen participation, open data practices, and the use of open-source technologies to monitor environmental conditions in urban areas. The project was developed to allow individuals and communities to collect, visualize, and share environmental data using affordable sensing devices. Smart Citizen monitors air quality, noise levels, temperature, humidity, and other urban environmental indicators. The platform combines three main components: hardware in the form of open-source sensor kits, software for data management, and a digital platform where data can be uploaded and accessed publicly. The project supports environmental awareness and informed decision-making at the community level by providing accessible monitoring tools. The project enables citizens to participate directly in the environmental data collection and analysis. Smart Citizen has been spread in multiple cities worldwide and used in educational programs, community-based research, and urban planning initiatives focused on sustainability and smart city development. The data collected through the network contributes to ongoing research and policy discussions related to urban environmental conditions. ^[8]

Prizes and awards

• The Remix El Barrio project won the STARTS Grand Prize by the European Commission for the most Innovative Collaboration in 2021. ^{[9] [10]}
• The Distributed Design platform led by Fab Lab Barcelona is an official member of the New European Bauhaus initiative in 2020. ^{[7] [11] [12] [13]}
• The Making Sense Toolkit co-developed as part of the [Making Sense] project received a STARTS Prize honourable mention in 2018. ^{[14] [15] [16]}
• Recognized by the Financial Times, Google and leading European policymakers as one of 100 digital pioneers in Europe in 2017. ^[17]
• The Smart Citizen project won Most Innovative Initiative prize at Smart City Expo World Congress 2013. ^{[6] [18] [19]}

See also

• Schools portal

• Fab lab
• Urban manufacturing

References

1. "FAB 4:The Fourth International Fab Lab Forum and Symposium on Digital Fabrication (August 19-24, 2007)". cba.mit.edu. The Center for Bits and Atoms, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
2. "About Fab Lab Barcelona". fablabbcn.org. Fab Lab Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, founded by IAAC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Spain. 11 February 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
3. "Fab Lab Barcelona - IAAC Research Department". iaac.net. Institut d’Arquitectura Avançada de Catalunya. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
4. "About". FabLabs.io. Fab Foundation. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
5. "Fab Lab Barcelona". IAAC. Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
6. "About. Who". smartcitizen.me. Smart Citizen. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
7. "Supporting emerging creatives that work on alternatives to mass production". distributeddesign.eu. Distributed Design. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
8. "Smart Citizen". Smart Citizen. Fab Lab Barcelona. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
9. "SISCODE – Remix el Barrio. Designing and crafting from food waste in the neighbourhood of Poblenou, Barcelona". fablabbcn.org. Fab Lab Barcelona (Fab Lab BCN). 16 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
10. "Remix el Barrio, Food Waste Biomaterial Makers. IaaC Fab Lab Barcelona, The Remixers [S+T+Arts Prize'24]". starts-prize.aec.at. Ars Electronica Linz GmbH & Co KG, Linz, Austria. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
11. "New European Bauhaus. beautiful, sustainable, together". new-european-bauhaus.europa.eu. New European Bauhaus. European Union. Retrieved 13 October 2024. The New European Bauhaus (NEB) is an EU policy and funding initiative launched by the European Commission in 2021 that fosters sustainable solutions for transforming the built environment and lifestyles under the green transition.
12. "(No title given)". distributeddesign.eu. Distributed Design, Barcelona, Spain. Retrieved 13 October 2024. Just as the Bauhaus did at the beginning of the last century, the Distributed Design Platform values ??multidisciplinarity in order to successfully address the challenges of each era.
13. "New European Bauhaus. Distributed Design Platform". neweuropeanbauhaus.es (in Spanish). New European Bauhaus. 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
14. "Citizen Science. A Toolkit. Making Sense" (PDF). waag.org. Waag Futurelab, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. ISBN   978-90-828215-0-5 . Retrieved 15 October 2024. 112 pages.
15. "The Making Sense Toolkit is out!". making-sense.eu. Waag Society. European Union. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
16. "Making Sense: Citizen Sensing Toolkit - STARTS Prize". starts-prize.aec.at/en. Ars Electronica Linz GmbH & Co KG, Linz, Austria. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
17. Speare-Cole, Rebecca; Mitevska, Tatjana (November 21, 2018). "Europe's 100 digital champions. The people and companies leading Europe's growth". ft.com. The Financial Times Ltd. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
18. "SmartCity Expo World Congress". smartcityexpo.com. Fira Internacional de Barcelona. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
19. Redacción (21 November 2013). "Smart City Expo reconoce a Rio de Janiero como la mejor ciudad inteligente de 2013" [Smart City Expo recognises Rio de Janiero[sic] as the best smart city in 2013]. lavanguardia.com (in Spanish). La Vanguardia Ediciones, SLU. Retrieved 13 October 2024.

External links

• Official website . Consulted on 13 October 2024.
• "Centre for Bits and Atoms". cba.mit.edu. The Center for Bits and Atoms, Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Retrieved 13 October 2024.
• "MIT Architecture". architecture.mit.edu. MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Architecture + Planning, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, USA. Retrieved 13 October 2024.