Digital technologies have become an integral part of all areas of our lives and bring profound changes to society. This calls for new concepts. Berlin Open Lab brings together researchers and ideas from different fields in order to enable new forms of design. Berlin Open Lab is an experimental space for transdisciplinary research projects at the intersection of technology, society and arts. It has its own laboratory for digital-based production, smart material interfaces and wearable computing plus a space for design research with augmented and virtual realities.
Based at Campus Charlottenburg, Berlin Open Lab combines artistic practice with scientific research. Initiated by the University of the Arts Berlin in cooperation with the Technical University Berlin, it is home to applied research by the “Einstein Center for Digital Future”, the “Weizenbaum Institute” and the research consortium “SHAPING SPACE”. It is in close and continuous exchange with a strong international research network, including universities, research institutes, governments, civil society and companies from the creative industries.
Berlin Open Lab’s hybrid applied research approach is also reflected in the design of the workspace. The flexible structure and broad variety of equipment promotes an open practice, experimental research and liveliness. Berlin Open Lab consists of three main areas: an area for exchanging ideas, planning, group workshops and processing, an area for digital prototyping and fabrication and an area for multi-modal, mixed-reality simulations and design.
The Mixed-Reality Space enables research teams to develop and research new tools to digitally create multi-modal, cross-reality spaces and experiences that refer back to the
The Prototyping space offers a full range of digital and analogue fabrication tools suited for various materials such as wood, plastics, textile and metals, and
The Berlin Open Lab offers a variety of coworking and research areas. Each research team has a working area at its disposal, which can be
in cooperation with
