Introducing AttA – Barcelona’s Newest Design and Coworking Studio

In the last few years, the digital world and the physical world have been merging with the advancement and availability of 3D-printing and precision laser cutting. The digital creations of artists, architects, designers, engineers and tinkering hobbyists are no longer trapped inside a computer. With innovative new spaces like AttA, those computer-rendered designs can be transformed into reality.

AttA Barcelona is a design and coworking space nestled conveniently behind the Barcelona Disseny Hub on the border of Poble Nou and Glories. Among 3D printers, laser cutters, a traditional workshop and a chic coworking studio is Barcelona’s first commercial CNC machine open to the public.

A CNC machine is a Computer Numerical Controlled industrial cutting machine. It’s basically, a robot that knows exactly what to do and carries out the entire cutting processes to the tiniest of measurements. Until now, CNC machines were limited to large corporations and factories and were cost prohibitive to people like you and me. Starting today, AttA let’s us use it for €1 per minute.

In order to celebrate the occasion, AttA is hosting a Grand Opening Party on Friday, September 18^th – free and open to the public to see firsthand how easy and accessible this new design space will be for Barcelona’s maker community.

Founded by Ariadna and Andres Scaparone, sibling entrepreneurs and visionaries from Venezuela and Adriana Rodriguez, with a vision to offer our city innovative tools at the best prices in a great location, so everybody could create their very own designs and prototypes.

After graduating from Elisava, Ariadna noticed that, while there were many (like a lot) of coworking spaces in Barcelona, the vast majority were catering to tech-related freelancers and computer engineers. Only a handful were offering the new demographic of “makers” the tools they necessary to bring their ideas to life, and still no one had access to a precise, computer-controlled industrial cutting machine. 

The main difference is that AttA offers a more open approach to co-working in terms of how space is used and shared. They want to see how 3D printing and designs move from outside a niche group of engineers and invite people from all backgrounds and abilities to design, print and experiment with their machines. Whether you rent a fixed desk in the coworking section or simply drop in as a weekend warrior, AttA provides the flexibility and training to print, cut or hammer your digital designs into the real world.

What we are witnessing with AttA, besides the paradigm shift and democratization of access to cutting-edge machines, is that only those spaces that offer a welcoming, sharing and open community will survive. There will always be different approaches, new strategies and breakthrough innovations, but fostering an open and collaborative environment is the only way to maximize the potential of these tools to create amazing new products and prototypes.

Walking into AttA for the first time instills a spirit of creativity that is hard to deny. You instantly want to roll up your sleeves and start building. Watching others 3D print their designs or plug their code into the CNC and watching their idea take shape makes you want to create and share your own visions for what the world is missing.

This article has been written by Hector Manzano from Pomer.co

So join us at AttA Barcelona next Friday, September 18^th @18h to see the space, meet the community and learn how to create your next prototype from scratch!

COME JOIN US NEXT FRIDAY!