To shape and guide the operations of the Center Rog, you established RogLab—a production, educational, and presentation space in a container. What exactly takes place there?
Meta Štular: RogLab is the result of the Second Chance development project, aimed at testing the initial plans for the renovation of the former Rog factory. In a three-year research process involving numerous participants, we found that the original conceptual design no longer met the needs of the time or potential users. We recalibrated the vision for the Center Rog placing greater emphasis on communal use of space, new technologies, and innovative forms of management. RogLab serves as a kind of living prototype where we are testing these foundational ideas.
So, RogLab operates as a typical “fab lab” (fabrication laboratory) where users can test their ideas and enhance their skills?
Yes, with the support of in-house technicians and our partner company RPS, participants can apply their newly acquired skills to develop their own prototypes or products. Additionally, we organize extended workshops for adults; one currently underway is Nosim naelektreno (I Wear Electrified), held in collaboration with the Rampa Lab – Kersnikova Institute and the ČIPke [Laces] initiative. This workshop focuses on wearable electronics and nature, with the results set to be showcased at the Lighting Guerrilla festival. We also run a children’s program, Saturday Workshops, with our partners to encourage kids and young people to creatively engage with new technologies.
You also organize lectures and training sessions. Who are these aimed at, and why?
Our aim is to make digital manufacturing technologies and machines, such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC milling machines, more accessible to users. These workshops are designed so that no prior experience is required. Participants gain initial membership in RogLab, allowing them to build on the fundamentals they’ve learned with support from in-house technicians during “open sessions,” which are held four times a week from noon until 8 pm. We also organize lectures on contemporary materials – this spring, for example, we’re looking forward to a workshop on composite structures in collaboration with the company Aereform. The goal of these programs is to equip creators with knowledge that can help them bring their ideas to life.
Several years have passed since RogLab opened – what have been some of the most exciting projects, and what are the key achievements?
Our first major project in 2013 brought together 43 designers and engineers to create ten prototypes in various fields, from cycling culture to urban gardening and robotics. We called the project RogLab – The Factory that Builds Itself, as we wanted to highlight how interdisciplinary collaboration and the creative use of digital production technologies can help shape the factory of the future. I’d also like to mention the international project Design (Dis)Ability, which involved a two-year development process addressing fashion and mobility impairments. The project, a collaboration with Culutremaker and assistive technology experts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), resulted in eight impressive prototypes that were exhibited last winter at the Museum of Architecture and Design in Ljubljana.
The 3D workshop is a core part of RogLab. It provides essential technology and services for rapid prototyping, enabling creators to turn their ideas into reality quickly and efficiently. Can you tell us more about this.
A prototype is essentially an idea brought to life – something tangible that can be tested in real-world conditions and easily shown to potential collaborators, customers, investors, or even to oneself. With digital manufacturing technologies, it’s possible to create product prototypes more affordably and quickly.
Who creates at RogLab?
We’re proud to attract a diverse group of users, spanning various professions, ages, and social backgrounds. Our makers include students, secondary school pupils, professional designers, architects, children, artists, DIY enthusiasts, retirees, hobbyists, and inventors. We also offer free training and membership to asylum seekers.
A strong network of partners is essential for RogLab – how extensive has your network become?
When plans for the future Center Rog were first discussed, some in the public questioned the value of creating yet another large institution that might consume the already limited funding available for cultural and creative activities. In response, we designed RogLab with a focus on building an organizational model that would connect, and provide both programmatic and infrastructural support to, existing creative initiatives and organizations. This model would also serve as the foundation for the Center Rog. At RogLab, we typically work with around sixteen regular partner organizations, with some leaving and new ones joining each year.
What positive effects have your activities had on the creative industries?
One of RogLab’s major contributions is certainly its public prototyping workshop, complete with support programs that help raise awareness that the initial stages of product development can be relatively affordable and quick. Another significant contribution is our encouragement of an interdisciplinary approach in product development. We also place a strong emphasis on early education in the field of the creative use of technology. It’s essential to prepare children early on for the cultural and technological environment they’ll enter as adults.
So, you emphasize the importance of project and program design and development.
If the foundation is strong, it’s much easier to build on it when more funding or better infrastructure becomes available. This approach might not yield immediate results, but it’s geared towards long-term sustainability.
How do you think the trend of small digital workshops, accessible to everyone and appearing worldwide, will develop?
The concept of small digital fabrication workshops originated at MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms. Today, hundreds of these workshops operate globally. By using similar technologies, tools, and processes, they connect into a global network – a sort of distributed lab for creation, research, and innovation. These workshops have already proven they can play a significant role in democratizing access to production tools, fostering individual creativity, and encouraging small-scale entrepreneurship aimed at limited production runs. However, this model is unlikely to replace mass production.
RogLab was initially planned to operate until at least 2018 and then to be integrated into the new Center Rog complex after the factory’s renovation. Have these plans changed?
RogLab is housed in a container, making it a modular unit that can be expanded or adjusted as needed. The spaces in the former Rog factory are also designed with modularity in mind in the latest plans. On the factory’s ground floor, RogLab’s mini workshop will transform into separate, specialized workshops equipped with professional tools: a 3D workshop, woodworking wokshop, metalworking workshop, textiles workshop, and more. We anticipate that in fields such as design, architecture, and the arts, the trend toward small-scale independent and freelance creators will continue to grow, for whom it is often more economical and practical to share resources like machinery, expertise, and workspace.
The ultimate aim for RogLab is to eventually cease operations and have its activities and organizational model fully integrated into Center Rog, right?
Yes, though RogLab could continue as the name for the development division of the new institution. However, simply providing new spaces and infrastructure isn’t enough to foster creativity. From our experience, creating a creative and innovative environment requires connecting decision-makers, educational institutions, and the business sector, establishing supportive tax policies, and simplifying various administrative processes for new businesses. In short, for a city to truly thrive creatively, it’s essential to provide people with the best possible conditions for their work and support them in their ventures.
The original was published in April 2016 in the Hiše magazine by Anja Sedej (This is an abbreviated version.)