[KwartzLab] The ideal Kwartzlab

[doug moen]

I would keep the lounge, but it could be smaller. ThinkHaus manages to
have a perfectly nice lounge in much less space (it's used for
SoOnSpace meetings). Our lounge is also used for a variety of club and
group meetings. The lounge should be co-located with the drinks
fridge, coffee maker and kitchen.

I too would like a clean, functional kitchen that can be used for food
prep. I'd put the kitchen sink in a different room from the sink that
is used for washing chemicals off of etching projects. The latter can
go in the dirty shop area.

One of the outcomes from this planning exercise will be an estimate of
minimum vs desired amount of floor space, plus information about how
that floor space should be allocated for separate functions.

The dirty shop room has:
 - a door that provides a noise, dust and smell barrier
 - a garage door to the outside (nice to have, not essential)
 - an excellent ventilation system for dust and fumes
 - laser cutter, shop bot, cnc mill, computers to control these
 - wood and metal working machinery, welding
 - kiln for clay and glass work
 - a sink
 - an enclosed area with excellent ventilation and dust protection,
for painting and drying projects, and as fume hood
 - member storage

Lounge and kitchen:
 - comfy couches surrounding a table
 - drinks fridge, coffee maker, microwave, sink
 - stove/oven, cupboards, counter space for food prep
 - art + member project display

Art/Electronics work room:
 - soldering stations
 - computer workstations
 - 3D printer and vinyl cutter
 - work benches
 - art gallery + AIR studio
 - member storage

Party/Big Meeting room:
 - chairs
 - digital projector and screen
 - sound system
 - lectern
 - bar

We have quite successfully combined the last two functions in a single
room, and it makes sense for certain kinds of presentations and
workshops, but a different space might have different dynamics, so
I've listed them separately. Site3 has these functions separated, on
the first and second floor.

On 11 April 2012 22:55, Ben Brown <ben at generik.ca> wrote:
> Improved Capabilities:
>
> - Metalworking/welding(!)
> - Proper ventilation
> - More project storage for members
> - Garage door
> - Better (or rather, functional!) kitchen
> - Shopbot!
>
> Honestly I don't care a whole lot about having a lounge (except for the
> library). If space was an issue, it'd be the first area of Kwartzlab I'd
> get rid of. I also still prefer ground level space (or alternatively,
> access to a beefy elevator).
>
> I would also like to see the lab stay in the downtown core. Aside from
> the bus terminal/upcoming LRT, the area is really starting to take off
> as far as cool new things, startups, projects and other groups to
> co-mingle with.  It's also decently centralized in the region between
> Waterloo and Cambridge. I don't think a storefront location would suit us.
>
> Cheers,
> Ben
>
> On 4/11/2012 10:07 PM, Darcy Casselman wrote:
>> I wanna get a discussion going.
>>
>> Recognizing that the Boehmer Box might not be our home forever, we
>> (that being the board, mostly) have started to talk to other groups
>> and organizations about what opportunities might be out there for a
>> long-term home.
>>
>> **DISCLAIMER**: We've not moving unless we have to, or unless
>> something really awesome comes up.  We're just investigating options.
>> Any decision to move, or any other similar big changes will be made at
>> a general meeting of the members.  I'm not posting this to panic
>> anybody.  Frankly, there's nothing to panic about.  We're just
>> acknowledging that our neighbourhood is changing and our lovely $5/sq
>> ft rent may well start going up sometime in the medium term.
>>
>> But that's not what I wanted to start a discussion about.
>>
>> What would an ideal Kwartzlab look like to you?
>>
>> More square feet?  Semi-private or rentable work space?  Fewer square
>> feet for easier maintenance?
>>
>> If we had to change locations, where would you want to go?  Should we
>> fight to stay in the downtown?  How about Waterloo or Cambridge?
>> Access to transit or the expressway?
>>
>> Amenities?  Washrooms, showers, kitchen stuff?  An loungier lounge?
>>
>> More woodshop stuff?  More fablab stuff?  More coworking stuff?
>>
>> An autoshop?  Heavy machinery?  Greasy, messy stuff?  Garage door access?
>>
>> Or maybe a more welcoming store front sort of location?
>>
>> Sketch it out for me.
>>
>> For non-members, what kind of Kwartzlab would you be willing to pony
>> up membership fees for?  Are we missing facilities, tools, etc. that
>> would convince you to join?
>>
>> This is brainstorming.  There are no bad ideas.  :D
>>
>> Darcy.
>>
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>
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