the space itself - location goals and requirements

[devvyn]

I don't have much to say to start this discussion, as I don't know how much space will be needed. But I'd like to offer my home for initial meetings, as there is some gadgetry here between the two nerds in the house and un unused basement as well as a comfortable living room. I'm at a fairly central location in the city—near the corner of Broadway & Taylor.

[DigitalOSH]

That's a very generous donation and frankly, i can't think of a good reason why it shouldn't be our initial meeting space.

As we move into the future though, we are going to need an insurable location which is accessible 24 hours a day.

The insurance part is especially important. It's not just to ensure the safety of our equipment, but also the membership. If anyone is injured at the property, be it through use of equipment or just falling on the steps, we are liable.

Any other suggestions as to what we may need in the future?

[rsilk]

Depends what the goals are, or what people are interested in doing. If it's just electronics/software hackery, most any space you can fit a couch and some bench space will do. If people are more interested in fabricating physical things, the requirements are somewhat higher. Depending on the tools, you'll need more space/power/ventilation.

edit: Oh, location security is a big one too, especially if people start bringing their own equipment (though it applies just as well for donated or group-purchased gear)

[Tetragrammatron]

I'm sure we can hack together our own security system that could potentially text message us if an alarm/sensor of some sort is tripped, or live stream video from inside the premises Would be a fun starter project for someone.

[ADDandy]

An old auto mechanic garage would be a great space if we could find one. the large opening doors would give us lots of ventilation, and area for physical tools to work. downside to this is a large door means it is easier to 'remove' things from the property. the space itself could be easily modified to accommodate computers, and benches and stuff, most of which should b e easy enough to build. how many people do we expect to be able to host at a time? how much physical work area is required?
i think a custom security system is an awesome idea, but we might want to couple that with a legit one that can be used to call the cops if no one is around to respond.

[DigitalOSH]

ENTS (Edmonton Hackspace) has a mechanic shop I believe. It would be very interesting! In regards to things being removed from the property, thats why we need insurance, and perhaps security cameras that record to the cloud