The Struggle for Polycentric Structures and a New Peer- Production Commons in the Fab Lab Community
Peter Troxler · 2013
Within a decade, Fab Labs have developed from isolated initiatives to a global network of labs that spans all continents. Despite this fast and tremendous growth—or maybe precisely because of it—the global network struggles to define its form and purpose. That network is supposed to provide operational, educational, technical, financial, and logistical assistance beyond what is available within any single lab. Several institutions have emerged and started to provide portions of this assistance: The Fab Academy plays an important role in education. National and international Fab Foundations support operations and logistics of labs. A global user group is developing in the form of an international association. All these institutions are still in their nascent stage, trying to figure out their remit and scope and how to effectively and efficiently work together.