“You have to first understand that Can Valldaura is a 113 hectares territory, and part of it is the Green Fab Lab. The building has an history that goes back to the 11th century.” Nine years ago, IaaC architecture institute started an investigation and understanding of the place. The Green Fab Lab project was submitted in 2011, the property bought thanks to a grant and operations started in 2014.
It’s the second campus of IaaC school of architecture, and the second FabCity network Fab Lab after Fab Lab Barcelona. It was created to interface with this environment as a rural Fab Lab, looking specifically at the intersection between technology and self-sufficient environment, creating alternative modes of production. “That’s what makes it different from other Fab Labs, the combination of its locality and advanced tools”.
“We imagine that all Valldaura would be for researchers, Iaac students, visitors, people coming for workshops and events, creating immersive experiences during which people live there and make things locally.” People from all over the world come here to take the FabAcademy and BioAcademy programs.
“The Green Fab Lab has 4 lines of investigation: fabrication, energy, agroecology and biology. But this idea came afterwards, it was first thought to be more a traditional arts&craft lab.” The idea is to make things with the resources available within the property, grow some materials and be zero waste, making the machines that can enable them to explore their surrounding environment.