By leveraging the natural generosity inherent in maker culture, the project is able to unlock a new level of efficiency in skills transfer. Creating a safe environment where anyone can learn to use new technologies, where experienced professionals can share their knowledge and help the next generation.
Makers” make things, using both cutting edge technology and age old methods, or often a combination of both. Makers find value in making something by hand, giving a physical product more value because of the thoughtful, careful and useful way it is designed and made. Makers are not aiming for a mass market for their product, they are simply expressing something they love, and in the process creating something worthwhile for the niche group of people that they represent. Makers openly share resources, expertise, equipment and encouragement because they choose to believe that we can do more together than we can apart. The MakerSpace was founded by Stephen Gray in 2013 and it exists to lower the barriers of entry for people to express their creativity in a physical way. We work to bring people together, working creatively, inspiring each other, engaging with new technology, and building the “bottom-up economy”. In 2018, we were formally registered as the Makerspace Foundation NPC focusing on community upliftment and social impact through our training programs across various areas of technology.
Our Services
We research and develop a technology, break it down and rebuild it in a way that people can use to start sustainable businesses.
Our Strengths
We pull together a diverse group of technical and creative people and look for new ways of making things, or sometimes using a combination of old ways to make new things. Disruptive technology is our field of expertise, but our goal is to understand new technologies and make them accessible to regular people. We offer technical training on all sorts of technology including IoT (internet of things) additive manufacturing (3D printing) digital fabrication (lasercutting and CNC), Drones, autonomy AI, robotics and circular design. We focus, where we can, on development and training of underrepresented groups helping to create sustainable businesses that improve society at large.
Accolades
Google Impact Challenge 2018.
Special programs and projects
The Innovative Waste Design Program was launched for the Baobab of Durban project which is centered around sustainable living. The Innovate Waste Design Program trains young people to start their own businesses by turning waste into value.
We facilitate the development of skills and knowledge in Circular Design, sustainable manufacturing and business development.
We’ve also been working on an in-house pet project, a 3D printer that prints ceramic objects directly from clay. Every part of the machine has been built in-house and we are now offering it as a platform to designers to start new enterprises.
Vision for the Future
Our dream is that anyone could make anything, anywhere in Africa. We are working with a network of like-minded people through the South African Maker Network, Africa Makerspace Network, Fablab network, Precious Plastic Studios, Plasticprenuer manufacturing sites, wikifactory, fab cities and others to help cities develop the capacity to produce everything they consume in a sustainable and socially responsible way.
News and Media recognition
CNN Documentary – https://edition.cnn.com/ videos/tv/2021/02/19/inside-africa durbaninnovation-makerspace-spc.cnn
Elle magazine – https://www.veolia.com/en/ our-media/news/veolia-elle-green thirdplaces-help-us-work-together-collective-battleecological
