About Made
Made is a flexible space where artists, designers, inventors, entrepreneurs, creative, engineers, makers, fabbers, and hackers can develop their own projects together. We facilitate the development of open and distributed learning community, co-production, collaboration, and entrepreneurial activities. Our organization is a cultural non-profit association. Membership payments are used to pay the rent and for the maintenance of the space equipment.
Our makerspace exists to enable, educate, empower, and connect people who want to create something. We believe that if you can dream it, you can make it- and you shouldn't have to empty your bank account in the process! We want to spread the maker mindset by helping new makers bring their project ideas to life. We don't place any limits on the kind of projects you can create inside of MADE. If it is mostly legal, does not explode or set the space on fire, then you can come and create it !
Made was created in 2013, as a shared idea by James Brazil, Camilo Valdivia and Ugo Riboni, with tons of input and support from Cecilia Tham, while they were all working out of the MOB coworking space which Cecila directed.
Each of the founders, for different reasons, felt the need for a space where they could work on projects related to technology, art and generally have the equipment to experiment with turning ideas and concepts into reality, openly and together with a community of like minded people.
At the time Barcelona had a few commercial spaces with the right equipment, a large FabLab with excellent machines that for various reasons was really hard to access by the public, and a few tiny hackerspaces mostly connected to the squatter movement. None of these spaces fit their needs and this presented the opportunity to create something new.
The initial idea to create a fabrication and prototyping space as part of MOB, but it became clear as soon as the planning started that having a fully independent entity was necessary to ensure that the project could grow in any direction the community wanted, independently of the intentions of the founders. In fact placing the community first and taking decisions as democratically as possible was one of the factors that contributed to attract the solid group of initial users that allowed the space to survive during the set up phase.
Cecilia and MOB were very supportive of the idea and allowed MADE to use part of the basement at MOB, initially for free and then with a progressively increasing rental fee, until it had enough members to sustain itself and keep growing (roughly six months later). The contact with MOB was also essential in providing the amount of exposure needed to attract more smart and creative people to join our ranks.
In 2014 we started renting a laser cutter from the fine people at Laser Project and this provided us with another big influx of members, excited by the possibilities of the machine.
With a growing user base, and limited by the opening times of MOB and the security implications of sharing a space with another organization, we decided to find a new home in the summer of 2014. Fabrica Lehmann ended up being our choice and we moved in in June, with finally a space we could fully control and that would allow us room to grow under our own terms.
In 2017, due to a sudden increase in rent from a not-so-nice landlord, Made started the search for a new home. We eventually settled on a much larger space in Sants, and committed to grow the organization into the big and beautiful makerspace we always knew that it could be.
MADE is located in the Plaza de la Vidriera in the Sants district; you can find us at Carrer de la Noguera Pallaresa, 61, Bajos, 08014 Barcelona.
To get to Made via public transportation:
- Metro L1 stop Hostafrancs
- Metro L5 stop Plaza de Sants
- Bus H12 stop Gran Via-Farell
- Bus 50 stop Sants-Premià
Made has a sizable collection of hand tools and power tools, as well as some larger equipment. Below is a (not comprehensive) list of the tools available in our space:
- Band saw, circular saw, jig saws, keyhole saw, hand saws (wood and metal), rasps, files, chisels
- Belt sanders, disk sander, oscillating spindle sander, hand orbital sanders, rotary grinding wheel
- Power drills, cordless drills, Dremel drill, angle grinder, router, assorted bits and rotary tools
- Soldering irons, heat guns, multi-meters, oscilloscopes, function generators, bench power supplies, micro controllers (Arduino, LittleBits, and more), and lots of electronic components
- Wrenches, pliers, screw drivers, scissors, glass cutters, box cutters, tin snips, shears, ratchet, staple gun
- 3D printers:
- Prusa i3
- EntresD UP Plus
- MalyanSys M180
- Printbot Jr.
- Laser cutters:
- Universal Laser Systems Laser Cutting ULS 25-E (50x30cm, 25W) laser cutter
- SIN SL-530 (50x30cm, 60W) laser cutter
- CNC
- WiFi, printer, and scanner
For detailed information, see Inventory.
Made is a non-profit organization, which means that all donations go directly towards the monthly cost of running the space (rent, electricity, water, repairs, etc.), buying new tools, and improving Made's outreach.
A monthly membership costs about the same as a coffee per day at 35 euros per month. You can sign up for one month, and after you get hooked on making you can set up an automatic recurring payment ;-) If you would like to have a fixed desk and extra storage space, you can pay 65 euro more (100 per month).
You can pay via Paypal to info@made-bcn.org, direct bank transfer to IBAN ES65 3025 0001 18 1433490836 (Asociaciò MADE), with Bitcoin, or in cash.
Anyone is welcome to join! You don't need to have any experience in a particular area- our members are typically highly motivated autodidacts who are happy to share their experience and knowledge with others.
Made hosts many types of events- both public and private. For example, our members run the popular Demolition Zone workshop, where participants take apart old electronic devices (like printers and microwaves) to learn how they work and how to recycle the motors, LEDs, and sensors for their own projects.
To sign up for a workshop, contact the event organizer(s) and let them know you are interested. You can see when new events are happening by following us on Twitter @made_bcn, subscribing to our Facebook page, or looking at our Google calendar.
All Made members can organize events- for free or for profit. Non-members are also able to set up private events, but they need to coordinate with a Made member who will attend the event to assist and supervise. Send us a message at info+events@made-bcn.org to inquire about pricing and availability.
Made opens its doors to the public every Monday evening at 19:00 and again at 20:00. Anyone is welcome to visit the space (for free) to see our space, ask questions, meet the members, make a donation, become a member, or just to and feed your curiosity! We ask that visitors please try to be punctual.
If you are unable to attend our recurring tours on Monday evenings, you can send an email to info+visits@made-bcn.org with the subject line: "Schedule a visit for [date|time]"
- You can send us an email at info@made-bcn.org
- You can call us at +34 935 314 044
- You can send us a letter at Carrer de la Noguera Pallaresa, 61, Bajos, 08014 Barcelona, Spain
- Check out our Facebook page
- Follow us on our Twitter @made_bcn
- Have a look at our Members' projects
- See our Pinterest page
- Add our Google Calendar to your schedule