This May, Andrew Quitmeyer helped build an art and science incubator... that floats. The Waterspace project is a mini laboratory intended to draw local resources and attention together around ecological interests and issues in the small community near Dumaguete, Philippines. The chosen location is near an endangered coral reef, and the floating "BOAT lab" (named for Building Open Art & Technology) works to gather and share information about the reef and the community.

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The area is subject to many problems related to pollution and poor water treatment, which are in turn caused by an array of locally specific causes. The floating project supported many types of creative troubleshooting around improving ecological stability and building public awareness.

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This barge-bound makerspace was built in just 9 days using reclaimed bamboo and traditional boat building methods. It is equipped with solar power, work areas, performance areas, and lab equipment. These elements all combined to encourage local interaction with, protection of, and invention around the surrounding environment.

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Over the course of the month, teams worked on a number of issues and goals. Some BOAT Lab highlights include a TV projection "screen" made from a curtain of dripping seawater, a submersible video drone, educational performances, and weather and water testing systems that gather data on the health of the local ecosystem.

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Check out the Instructables how-to if you want to know how to make your own floating barge, public lab, aquatic educational center, mobile performance platform, or eco-minded bootleg moonshine shack. 

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You can find a free book on the Waterspace project and process here.