This is focused to be Landlord friendly, currently discussing with Abbeymount Techbase
Edinburgh Hacklab is both a space for people to work on creative technological projects, individually and together, and a community of artists, tech geeks and those somewhere in between. We share a common cause in being limited by what can be done at home and in wanting access to better equipment in a dedicated space, and the opportunity to meet and collaborate with like-minded people.
Hacklab is incorporated as a Limited company by guarantee, with a board of 5 directors. The new member procedure includes attending a few open nights to allow two existing members to support the application, followed by a period of consultation with existing members and approval by the directors . Once a member's application has been accepted they receive a set of keys so they are able to use the facilities at any time. The board has powers to suspend a member and require them to return keys in the event of their conduct falling short of what is expected. A register of members and their addresses are maintained in accordance with the Companies Act 2006
Like other similar spaces around the UK and beyond there also a strong educational side, with members running open workshops. Currently two open nights are run a week at which non-members can access the community, space and most of the facilities. All open nights have a least one member present who is responsible for unlocking/locking the space.
There is also a monthly music night where musical creations by the hacklab community are demonstrated. This has spawned various collaborations and some involvement with the science festival. Typically about 15 people would attend a music night, with the noise levels being low.
Founded in August 2010 with an initial 12 members, the hacklab has grown to 20 members. We require a bigger space in order to allow the growth to continue.
The mixed nature of the group means that usage would vary and each project is unique, but core activities in the space include programming, soldering, making electronic circuit boards, light machining such as using a lath and laser cutting. Current usage of our space during 9am-5pm office hours is generally light as the majority of members have full time jobs or are attending university during the day.