Staten Island MakerSpace is a 6000 SF community workspace and incubator featuring a variety of equipment, including a full metal shop and wood shop, available for public use.

The space is located in an industrial building dating back to circa 1930. It is located on the Stapleton waterfront – a gritty transitional neighborhood reminiscent of Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan. It is undergoing a transformation as a part of the Staten Island North Shore Renaissance. In order to properly serve the Makerspace members and the public, the program was to design and construct within the existing space 2 new classrooms, one each for sewing and computers, a new conference room, 2 new accessible bathrooms , a lounge space and reception area. New HVAC and lighting was required for the new spaces. Since MakerSpace is all about fabrication, the architectural design was based on ideas of fabrication. Walls are activated, by curving them, by having them transmit light and having them be the canvas for a mural and color – walls as artworks in and of themselves.  A unique color scheme was devised.  Many aspects of the design were the result of collaboration between the owners – who are artists - and the architect.  Co-founder and Director DB Lampman painted the mural on the classroom wall. Co-founder and Director Scott Van Campman, who is a sculptor and architectural metal worker, fabricated the ramp rail. Found articles were utilized – windows were salvaged from an old church and installed in the conference room. One wall features windows set at an angle to match the slope of the accessible ramp. In keeping with the spirit of fabrication, the covers for light switches and electrical outlets as well as the HVAC diffusers, were printed on MakerSpace’s 3d printer. Finishes were kept intentionally a bit rough – homage to the rough textures of the exposed brick, concrete floor and old wood trusses of the existing building. The ceiling of the classrooms were constructed out of translucent plastic panels fastened to exposed steel joists and glows at night.

Since the project’s completion in late 2014, the new spaces have allowed MakerSapce to better serve its members- with membership increasing- and to host more public programs, becoming a valuable resource not only for Stapleton, but for Staten Island as a Borough of NYC.

Photos by Michael McWeeney