Maker Space 3 (2019 - 2021)
Maker Space 3 (MS3) was around the corner from MS2 in Commercial Union House. A grey and inposing brutalist building on the outside and a vibrant haven for artists and creatives inside. The building was managed by Orbis Community (https://www.orbiscommunity.com/) and had several other tenants including Ampersand Inventions (https://www.ampersandinventions.com/) and Vane Gallery (https://www.vane.org.uk/).
Address
Commercial Union House,
39 Pilgrim Street,
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 6QE.
Floorspace
45 - 166 square metres.
Rooms
- Main Workshop
- Machine Room
- Laser Annex
Description
Initially, we had a couple of small studios on the 4th floor with a lot of our equipment in storage and the laser in a small room in the basement. This was referred to as MS2.5 as it was only ever intended as a temporary arrangement.
After a while an area of the basement became available where we could set up MS3 properly.
Main Workshop
This part of the basement had previously been used as a document archive and came complete with a large amount of wooden shelving. This area was initially split into two parts, with desks, 3D printers and a soldering station on one side and woodwork and metalwork tools in the other. More space meant we could buy bigger and better tools so we bought a pillar drill, band saw and combination sander for thw woodworking area.
Machine Room
Later on, we expanded into another portion of the basement when it became available. Originally, it had been used as a store for the nightclub that used to be on the top floor of the building. It was known to us as the Zombie Cage due to the steel bars across the middle of the room which once kept the alcohol secure. This area became the machine room, with one side for woodwork and the other side for metalwork.
Laser Annex
The Laser Annex had originally been the lobby for a goods lift which no longer worked. We used it for the laser as it was an easier location to set up ventilation than the rest of the space.