FabLab Amsterdam

FabLab Amsterdam

FabLab Amsterdam is one of the oldest Fab Labs in Europe, established in 2007 by the Waag Society. The Waag building in Nieuwmarkt is one of Amsterdam’s oldest buildings that is not a church and served as a city gate and a guildhall among its many roles. The Lab plays an important role in the global digital fabrication training course Fab Academy. Intertwined with the activities in the FabLab are Waag’s other initiatives the WetLab (a garage biology or DIYbio lab) and TextileLab.

  • photograph of the Waag Society building, Nieuwmarkt, Amsterdam, showing the door to FabLab Amsterdam. the building is historic, brick, and the brick wall is curved and aged. the doorway is stone and the double door is red. there is a typical Amsterdam black bicycle parked near the door under a sign reading fablab amsterdam.
    FabLab Amsterdam, Waag Society, July 2012
  • photograph taken outside the distinctive and historically important Waag Society building at Nieuwmarkt in Amsterdam. there is a red door, above which is a stone chiselled sign saying St Lucas Guild. in front of the door there is a typical Amsterdam black bicycle.
    FabLab Amsterdam, Waag Society, July 2012
  • a photograph of FabLab Amsterdam, interior. there are two large working tables in the middle of the room. people are working on different things, one woman cutting paper with a laptop nearby, opposite her a woman is working on a laptop. behind her a woman is at the laser cutter and beside her a man is sitting at the electronics soldering station. there are all kinds of things hanging on the walls and projects on the tables.
    FabLab Amsterdam, December 2014
  • photograph of CNC routered moulds for casting players for a fooseball game
    Fooseball player moulds, FabLab Amsterdam, July 2012
  • photograph inside FabLab Amsterdam. the electronics soldering desk is visible on the right and in the centre of the photo there is a display shelf showing some books. under the shelf is a first aid kid, a small step ladder, a beverages craft and a rubbish bin. on the left there is a doorway with a vine plant growing up the wall and over the doorway. the main focus in the photo is a large poster on the wall which is the cover of the book Open Design Now
    FabLab Amsterdam, July 2012
  • photograph of the Fab Charter laser etched on a wooden door in FabLab Amsterdam
    Fab Charter, FabLab Amsterdam, July 2012
  • photograph inside Waag Society towards the fab lab. it is evening and the lights inside the Waag room are off so the streetlights from outside are shining in and creating a dramatic lighting and shadow effect on the wall. there are office chairs and a table and along the wall on both sides of the open doorway there are countertops with three Ultimaker 3D printers and other implements on them. stuff is stored under them. in the doorway a dressmaking mannequin is visible wearing a fashion design. the workspaces of the fab lab is visible through the doorway.
    FabLab Amsterdam, December 2014
  • photograph of inside FabLab Amsterdam towards one wall. there is a door on which is hanging a collection of digital embroidery samples. above the door two Fab Academy Diplomas are hanging. on the right there is a wooden dressmaking mannequin and a sewing machine. in the foreground is an old industrial machine.
    FabLab Amsterdam, December 2014
  • a photograph of a free open source electronic knitting machine, close-up
    OpenKnit, at FabLab Amsterdam, December 2014
  • photograph of a detail inside FabLab Amsterdam of objects on top of a shelf of drawers for tools: there are drill bits, a drill press, a desk lamp lighting the scene dramatically and a laser cut and etched butterfly flying over the scene
    FabLab Amsterdam, December 2014
  • photograph taken inside FabLab Amsterdam of various things on a shelf: some drill bits, a magnifying glass, and a metal clipboard with an old-looking table of engineering specifications
    FabLab Amsterdam, December 2014

In December 2021, I was able to visit Waag again. During the pandemic quiet time Henk was able to reorganize the lab; there was a new large laser cutter since my last visit. Cecilia was running Fabricademy out of the Textile Lab.

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New space layout with the large laser cutter in FabLab Amsterdam, December 2021
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The Fab Charter had been etched on a door; now it’s even bigger and on the side of storage shelves.
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A recent Fab Academy project: a Fab Academy instructor that pats you on the back. FabLab Amsterdam, December 2021.
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Waag’s Textile Lab, December 2021.
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Waag’s Textile Lab, December 2021.
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HILO free open source spinning machine, Textile Lab, December 2021.
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Ceiling of the Guildhall of the Waag Society building, Nieuwmarkt, Amsterdam.

During my visit Teresa van Twuijver, artist in residence and Fabricademy student, was setting up her exhibition in the Guildhall, a fascinating speculative design project called Indigenous Dutch. See more here.

See more photos of fab labs, makerspaces, hacklabs and DIYbio labs in my Flickr album: https://flic.kr/s/aHskv1dkDS

FabLab Amsterdam