ABOUT METALAB
METALAB — urban laboratory located in Ivano-Frankivsk. We focus on sustainability, community development, affordable housing, and product design. METALAB projects unite people with shared values around various processes and products. Then, our purpose is to facilitate these communities and help them on their way to building inclusive, sustainable, and comfortable living spaces.
Our current work centers on two projects: product design and makerspace POLE and CO-HATY, creating affordable housing for those who lost their homes due to the war.
VISION
METALAB strives to see Ukrainian cities and communities developing socially equal, spatially comfortable, culturally rich spaces where the economy works in accordance with the needs and limitations of the environment.
MISSION
To achieve this, METALAB aims to facilitate communities with shared values and create a favorable environment for experimentation, where the socio-spatial potential of spaces can be developed and tested in practice.
VALUES
community / team / sustainability / circularity / feminism / care / justice / experiment/ beauty / help / professionalism / innovation / inventiveness / locality
OFFICE
SHARED DINNERS
EXPERIMENTS
COMMUNITY BUILDING
PRODUCT DESIGN
RESEARCHES
BRIEF HISTORY
METALAB was founded in 2017 as an urbanism program under the Teple Misto charitable organization. Anna Pashynska and Oleksandr Shevchenko were the founders, while Anna Dobrova joined the initiative in 2018.
Initially, the METALAB team received guidance from Je Ahn and Joost Beunderman from Studio Weave and Project 00, with the support of the British Council. They laid down many strategic directions we are still developing in our activities.
METALAB office is located on the territory of the former Promprylad plant. The idea of revitalizing this plant came up during a study conducted by the CANactions Urban Studio, which Teple Misto requested. Back then, students spent a year researching Ivano-Frankivsk and created a concept for the city’s development. It was one of the impulses that led to the transformation of the former plant into an innovation center that activates the city community. METALAB collaborates with Promprylad as part of the New Economy of Frankivsk (NEF) project.
Before the outbreak of full-scale war, we focused on researching urban space and interacting with it through various projects. METALAB aims to guide by example, demonstrating how to activate the community and involve it in the city’s development, transforming it into a comfortable living space that meets the needs of people and the challenges of our time.
We have successfully organized the City Scanning Session festival three times. It’s a large-scale project that engages communities of urbanists, architects, artists, and inventors in researching and interacting with the city through various topics. We are continually improving upon the practices of these festivals through our ongoing projects.
Our important and large-scale project now is a makerspace, open workshops where a community of residents creates innovative solutions at the intersection of industries. Currently, the makerspace comprises workshops for wood and metalworking, textiles, ceramics, and a 3D printing studio. Additionally, we feature a sustainable materials laboratory where we develop and test new eco-friendly and energy-efficient prototypes that can replace traditional building materials.
How do we work with our projects?
The METALAB team is looking for opportunities to realize the socio-spatial potential of the places we live in. To do this, we:
- conduct thematic urban research;
- design objects and spaces;
- implement architectural projects;
- create affordable housing for people who have lost their homes as a result of Russian armed aggression.
We also share our experience and best practices at public events, urban and artistic residencies, festivals, and participatory workshops. Our work geography is expanding and has already gone beyond Ivano-Frankivsk.
WHAT DO WE DO TO VICTORY?
After the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia, we collaborated with members of Urban Curators to launch CO-HATY, an affordable housing project for internally displaced persons (IDPs). Initially, it was established as a quick response to the housing crisis. It has evolved into a complex story with extensive restoration of buildings, a model for long-term housing development, and integration of IDPs into local communities.
In CO-HATY projects, we restore buildings and create comfortable living spaces, adhering to safety, sustainability, integration, and time-saving principles. Our team applies architectural and urban expertise to coordinate the construction and design of living spaces, working closely with local authorities, property owners, and partners in Ukraine and abroad. We also created a special set of furniture for the compact spaces of the СO-HATY housing, focusing on the needs of IDPs.
During the full-scale war, Makerspace became a platform for relocated businesses, a place to launch new products and furniture production and to find innovative solutions for future reconstruction that we need today. We are participating in the NEF program to promote industrial design growth and support local businesses.
For the METALAB team, it’s crucial to respond to crises and societal challenges promptly and effectively. We undertake our projects with care, love, and dignity, all of which are essential values for Ukrainians. Our strategic focuses encompass affordable housing, local economic development and business support, sustainable practices in construction and design, and community building — all aimed at strengthening the state at both regional and national levels.
