The Creative Technologies Lab operates as a shared experimental environment, situated between design studio, engineering workshop, and research hub. It brings together people from different disciplines to collaborate on projects that merge technological precision with creative exploration. The culture of work is based on openness, mutual trust, and the idea that learning happens through making. Rule: Every session begins with a short setup — clear the table, prepare tools, and define one question to explore.

At the heart of this culture lies a studio-based approach: projects are developed collaboratively, processes are made visible, and outcomes evolve iteratively through dialogue, reflection, and prototyping. The lab promotes a working attitude that values curiosity over certainty, collaboration over competition, and experimentation over perfection. Rule: Every team documents daily progress — one image, one note, one learning per day.

The environment encourages individuals to take initiative, assume responsibility, and contribute to the collective process. Roles are flexible and shaped by context — one may lead, assist, document, or simply observe, depending on the situation. Work is understood as a fluid and adaptive practice that integrates the technical, the conceptual, and the human dimension of technology. Rule: Switch roles at least once per project to experience different perspectives.

The Creative Technologies Lab aligns with the MINDT framework (Mathematics, Informatics, Natural Sciences, Design, Technology). This means that rational and analytical perspectives meet creative and systemic thinking. Design is treated not as decoration but as a method of inquiry — a way to produce knowledge through iteration, reflection, and material exploration. Rule: Every prototype must be tested and discussed — no design without reflection.

• Curiosity — Every project begins with a question, not with a goal.
• Openness — Knowledge grows when shared. Documentation and transparency are integral to every process.
• Collaboration — The lab operates as a collective intelligence. Everyone contributes according to their strengths.
• Respect — Tools, spaces, and people are treated with equal care.
• Responsibility — Freedom in experimentation requires responsibility in execution.
• Reflection — Every process includes time to observe, analyze, and learn.
• Sustainability — Materials, energy, and attention are limited resources. Use them wisely.
• Iteration — Progress emerges from repetition, not from shortcuts.
• Documentation & Sharing — Projects are incomplete until their insights are made accessible to others.

Rule: Choose one principle per week as a focus and check at the end of the week how it was practiced.

Teaching within the lab does not follow a top-down structure. Teachers act as facilitators and mentors who design learning environments rather than prescribe outcomes. They guide processes, ask questions, and challenge assumptions. Their role is to help students navigate ambiguity and complexity while maintaining technical and ethical rigor. This includes the responsibility to make implicit knowledge explicit — by showing how reflection, iteration, and collaboration are themselves forms of research. In this sense, teaching is a continuous act of co-creation, where educators and students learn from one another while contributing to shared inquiry. Rule: Begin each session by asking one open question instead of giving direct instructions.

For students, the lab offers a space to develop autonomy, critical thinking, and collaborative competence. Learning happens through tangible projects that combine conceptual ideas with physical or digital making. Mistakes are seen as productive moments that lead to deeper understanding. Students are encouraged to formulate their own questions, to document processes, and to treat every prototype as a temporary hypothesis. Working in the lab means becoming part of a culture that values initiative, empathy, and curiosity over compliance. The aim is not to reproduce knowledge but to transform it through experimentation. Rule: Before leaving the lab, take five minutes to summarize what was learned and upload one note or image.

Documentation is a core part of the lab’s culture. Each project, no matter how small, should leave traces that others can learn from. This includes sketches, code, models, logs, and reflections. The DokuWiki platform serves as a living archive — a shared memory that supports transparency and collective growth. Reflection turns documentation into understanding: by writing, drawing, and discussing, insights become transferable knowledge. Rule: Each project must have a visible wiki page before presentation day.

The lab acknowledges that technology is not neutral. Every design decision has consequences — ecological, social, and cultural. Work is therefore guided by ethical awareness and a commitment to sustainability. The principle of “as little as possible, as much as necessary” shapes not only material use but also the attention given to each task. Sustainable practice is considered a form of design intelligence. Rule: Before starting a new prototype, reuse at least one material or component from a previous project.

Knowledge created in the Creative Technologies Lab is intended to be shared. Open-source software, transparent documentation, and collaborative platforms such as GitHub or DokuWiki ensure that projects contribute to a broader ecosystem of learning. The lab encourages critical engagement with existing technologies and supports the development of tools and processes that others can build upon. Rule: Publish at least one open-source element per semester — code, image, text, or method.

The work culture of the Creative Technologies Lab is therefore more than a set of guidelines. It represents an evolving practice — a living agreement among all who work, teach, and learn here. It is both an attitude and a commitment: to curiosity, to care, and to the idea that knowledge is best created when it is shared. Rule: Revisit and discuss this text once per year and adapt it collectively.