3 minute read
From clay to concept, we’re printing the future
Living in a world where production leaves no waste may sound like utopia, yet that is precisely the idea at the heart of C-District and MAAK-park Haarlem. Here, circular solutions and new production methods are tested and explored, from construction to product design. It’s a place that thrives on experimentation, where learning comes through doing. A hub where ambitions in digitalisation, industrialisation, and circular innovation come together to shape a future without waste.
A playground and classroom for innovation
For 10 years now, MAAK-park has been the leading innovative hub and breeding ground in Haarlem and the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. Around 40 companies are based here, working on new products through sustainable materials, circular applications, and industrial 3D-printing. From business-focused solutions to more personal creations, they are developing the products of tomorrow. Innovation isn’t an afterthought here, it’s built into the DNA.
The park is also home to leading field labs such as the Smart Makers Academy and BouwLab R&Do. Here, entrepreneurs, students, and researchers can test new materials, shapes, and production methods. Ideas quickly move from concept to prototype, with support from innovation vouchers provided by the Province of North Holland. These vouchers are small grants that help innovators take their ideas from experiment to real-world application.
Looking ahead, the plans are just as ambitious: renovating 1930s buildings with circular and biobased materials to make them energy-efficient, building a local energy network to reduce reliance on the grid, adding more greenery through climate gardens and trees, and trying out demountable construction. Classrooms on-site offer both hands-on and theoretical training, making MAAK-park a true living lab for sustainable innovation.
Two examples from MAAK-park perfectly illustrate how experimentation drives innovation here:
1. Neolithic
A 3D-printing bureau which creates industrial components and creative infrastructure from sustainable mortars, stone powders, and clay. Their work includes custom steps, drainage solutions, and even ‘vishotels’ (fish hotels), nature-inclusive habitats for endangered fish, recently installed in an Amsterdam canal. Find out more.
2. 3DMZ
Using industrial 3D-printers and robot arms they transform ideas into prototypes and end products. Projects range from circular lighting for Milan Design Week to innovative construction and interior solutions. Find out more.
A vibrant, open ecosystem where circular ideas take place
MAAK-park is more than a workspace. It is a lively and green environment, open to other entrepreneurs, visitors, and international delegations. Workshops, guided tours, and collaborative projects encourage exchange and growth. As MAAK-park expands into the wider C-district, the ecosystem will connect up to 150 companies working together on circular production and sustainable construction.
By sharing knowledge, testing new materials, and experimenting with 3D-printing and other innovative methods, the park is tackling local challenges while contributing to global ones. Collaboration is key. Companies, researchers, and educators from around the world come together to develop practical innovations that can be scaled up to address major issues like resource scarcity, climate change, and sustainable urban living. That’s #newdutch!
#NewDutch is a mentality, a movement, and an international platform for Dutch innovation. Discover the makers of tomorrow on www.newdutch.nl and join us!
Home
