Future Making & Manufacturing Lab (M+)

Future Making & Manufacturing Lab (M+)

 

 

The Future Making & Manufacturing Lab (M+) is an open platform for many new digital manufacturing processes, from single prototypes to high-volume production, considering how research practice in new material forms and constructions can lead to innovation for many manufacturing industries. This Lab is also part of a collection of crafts communities operating within the Jiangsu Province, with a wide variety of materials, including bamboo, copper, earth, jade, silk, silver, stone, and wood. These craft materials processes offer unprecedented opportunities for design research as an expression of regionalism and digital innovation. Similar experiences that integrate traditional craft into contemporary design are happening in many other Chinese cities, promoting formats of traditional materials and handicraft techniques, workshops, and exhibitions.

Lab Leader: Jacob de Baan, + Ivan Parati, Hongchao Wang, Jiaqi Wei

 

Examples of ongoing research projects:

Year awarded Project name Principal investigator Funding body
2025 Oldest Reconstructed Vessel Jacob de Baan XJTLU Research Development Fund (RDF)
2024 Inflatable Structured Metamaterial for Lightweight Application Ivan Parati XJTLU Research Development Fund (RDF)

 

Examples of exhibitions:

Year exhibited Contribution name Designer Event
2025 Flowing Zen Garden Ivan Parati, Jacob de Baan, Emanuela Corti, Mariia Zolotova, Hongchao Wang Design Shanghai
2025 Design Dim Sum Hongchao Wang, Vicente Esteban, Mariia Zolotova, Cheng-Hung (Roger) Lo, Jacob de Baan, Ivan Parati China International Furniture Fair
2024 Design Dim Sum Hongchao Wang, Jacob de Baan, Ivan Parati, Emanuela Corti China International Furniture Fair