What is the Kiezlabor?
From an old shipping container an energy self-sufficient Tiny House was born – the Kiezlabor! Our target group: EVERYONE – young, old, with a digital affinity or not! The essential thing is that you want to meet the big and small challenges of the present with courageous ideas and sustainable visions for the future. Under the motto “Without you, we’re just a container”, the Kiezlabor brings the prototypical approach of CityLAB to the Kieze of Berlin and invites you and your neighbourhood to explore and help shape the potential of digital transformation together. The Kiezlabor is an open space that serves as a workshop area, a stage, an interactive exhibition, a networking forum or simply as a place to have a cup of coffee.
The Kiezlabor is a project of CityLAB Berlin and the Technologiestiftung Berlin, with special support from the Senatskanzlei, and is being implemented as part of the digital and smart city strategy Gemeinsam Digital: Berlin. At the same time, we do not want to claim the Kiezlabor for ourselves exclusively, but would like to share it with other representatives from civil society, science and administration.
OPEN CALL: CityLAB Kiezlabor is looking for new locations!
With this Open Call, we are addressing people who work or volunteer in Berlin neighbourhoods on a daily basis, i.e. design, manage, plan and revitalise, e.g. in:
- … a Berlin administration
- … a civil society initiative or neighbourhood initiative
- … an urban planning office
- … a college, university, library
- … a municipal housing association
- … or similar.
We are looking for Berlin neighbourhoods…
- …in which a change process is imminent or underway, for example as part of an urban planning project or a public participation process.
- …in which conflicts, wishes, problems, concerns and goals have not yet found a form, a hearing or a process.
With the Kiezlabor we offer…
- …a temporary meeting place in the urban space in the form of a shipping container converted into a ‘tiny house’
- …a lively and tried-and-tested interface between administration and civil society
- …expertise in participatory processes, innovative approaches and digital and analogue tools that enable a broad group of people to shape the city
Procedure:
- You can take part in the Open Call until 15 December. We will then get in touch with you.
- Depending on the structure of the project, we will discuss a good approach and goals for a Kiezlabor assignment together. Preparatory half-day pop-up-Kiezlabor assignments without the container are also conceivable.
- The Kiezlabor locations themselves will be implemented between May and October.
We look forward to your suggestions! To take part in the Open Call, you must complete the following questionnaire:
We are also happy to receive tips or links to existing projects, even if you are not involved yourself.
Equipment and technology
Self-sufficient shipping container
The Kiezlabor is not only energy self-sufficient thanks to solar panels on the roof and doors and a built-in rechargeable battery and can therefore be used flexibly in different locations, but also comes with a kitchen including a water tank, sink, coffee machine, kettle and crockery.
Technology
We bring a lot of technology with us. In addition to a large 55-inch touch monitor visible from the outdoors for presentations, there is also a smaller 24-inch touch monitor and two tablets that can be flexibly attached inside or outside. Of course, there are microphones and speakers for presentations, fast internet and plenty of power sockets. If required, we can also bring VR glasses or a printer.
Workshop materials
From whiteboards and flipcharts to colourful pens and sticky notes in all colours. We always have everything the workshop heart could desire in our container.
Modular urban furniture
Between thirty and forty pieces of furniture are always available in the Kiezlabor, depending on the set-up scenario. This is made possible by our modular urban furniture made from crates, which can be fitted with either seats or table tops. This makes it possible to flexibly set up casual cinema seating or a workshop situation. If it gets particularly sunny, we have parasols at the ready and if the sun lets us down, there are rain capes for everyone in an emergency. For those who prefer to sit inside, we have six seats with a table inside.
Interactive exhibition
Depending on what exciting topics are currently available in the neighbourhood (Kiez), we bring along a customised interactive exhibition. Here, residents can use artificial intelligence to edit cityscapes according to their wishes, experience the city through the eyes of a child using a periscope or give their opinion on a relevant topic at a ‘candy machine’.
What happened so far:
At re:publica 2023, we tested the Kiezlabor in its beta version for the first time in front of an audience! Since then, we’ve been touring different Berlin neighborhoods, aiming to create a space for visitors to connect. You can find all blog posts about our previous locations in our archive.
Archive of previous locations:
Oct2023
Our highlights from the Kiezlabor in Marzahn-Hellersdorf under the motto “Shaping the city together”.
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How can I participate?
Your organization, your company, your initiative and you are interested in working with us at one of the planned locations? You need an event space, a workshop opportunity or a meeting room during the time we are with you? You have an idea for a collaborative event in the Kiezlabor, where we work out solutions for Berlin together with residents?
At this site, we will publish the topics for each location in a timely manner. Feel free to contact us with suitable proposals for events, workshops, exhibitions, participation, etc. for a specific location. We will be looking forward to hearing from you!
Contact
Anne Kruse (Transformation Manager / Urban Development & Participation CityLAB Berlin)
Press
Anna Hantelmann (Senior Communications Manager Technologiestiftung Berlin)
Tel.: +49 151 18457 242
