Four years of Makerspace Universum

This April, the Makerspace Universum at the University of Stuttgart is celebrating its fourth anniversary. Since its opening in April 2022, the University of Stuttgart’s Makerspace Universum has evolved into a vibrant hub for creative experimentation, interdisciplinary learning, and hands-on innovation. On its fourth anniversary, the numbers speak for themselves: 12,527 check-ins, 7,102 training sessions conducted, and 29,578 documented hours of collaborative making.

What began as an experiment in 2022 is now established as a place where the university community with its diverse backgrounds, skills, and ideas comes together as equals. Everyone is united by a common shared goal of creating something. Numerous courses, collaborations, and projects have continuously brought the space to life over the past four years.

The Makerspace Universum sees itself as an international center of excellence for the use of making in higher education and teacher training. Here, people explore how making approaches can enrich teaching and learning, and share this knowledge through national and international exchanges.

The project “SMiLe – Developing Schools through Making in Teacher Education” [DE], is actively involved in teacher training: At an early stage, prospective teachers are introduced not only to making methods but also to the didactic design of makerspaces, so that action-oriented learning becomes part of their pedagogical practice from the very beginning. 

Teaching at the Makerspace consistently emphasizes participation. A particularly striking example of this is the collaboration with the medical technology department in courses that bring together students, patients, and nursing students. Projects here are not developed for but rather together with those involved: their perspectives, experiences, and needs are incorporated into the development process from the start. A people-centered, solution-focused approach is one of the Makerspace’s fundamental principles which will take the center stage even more in future research.

Four years of practice and research make clear what is truly crucial for the sustainable success of a makerspace: openness as an attitude, a vibrant sense of community, and a conscious balance between social and functional space. A makerspace works when it not only provides machines and materials, but also facilitates encounters, exchange, and even shared failure. The Makerspace team systematically documents their expertise and continuously shares it as guidance for anyone who wants to plan, build, or sustain a makerspace long term.

„Diverse. Inclusive. Accessible “: This is not a slogan; it is the foundation upon which everything is built. The makerspace is open to all members of the university, regardless of origin, gender, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, special needs, or other forms of diversity.

At a time when diversity and inclusion are being debated and, in some circles, loudly questioned, the Makerspace Universum embodies these values every day: in its design, in its teaching methods, and in its community. This commitment will remain at the core of its research and practice at the Makerspace, which enriches the campus of the University of Stuttgart. None of this would be possible without the dedicated making community and partners. The Makerspace team would like to thank everyone who brings this space to life with their energy, ideas, and enthusiasm, and looks forward to the next four years.