Welcome to the White Space, or as it is more fondly known, 0×20.
We’re glad we made it out to this one — it wasn’t even planned, but after visiting HSBXL, one of the members got us in touch and so we took a chance and got on a train to Gent, Belgium — just in case someone could show us around. We were in luck, and two members showed up to give us the grand tour!
After wandering around Gent like a pair of lost tourists, we managed to find the complex that WhiteSpace is a part of. Similar to Garage Lab but the building is enclosed, and it seems to house more studios in the space.
The mailbox is a bit confusing — #13 does not mean they are in studio #13. Nope — they are actually on the 2nd floor in 1.21.
The ever popular Club-Mate is here as well — it’s everywhere! But in these packets is an interesting blend of caffeine, guarana, and who knows what else. One of the members, [Bart], warned us that they aren’t very tasty…
This is the main area of the space, on the left we have the bar (with an automated cash/inventory system), couches, desks, and all the outlets you could ever need.
They also have an old arcade machine with about 8 games — that run off the original tapes. Very fun.
View of the lounge, projector screen in the back. Great spot to sit back and relax.
This is cool — in case you didn’t know, Belgium has free Wi-Fi everywhere (translated). What started out as a hobby by a few enthusiasts in Antwerp over 10 years ago is now a national Wi-Fi network that is free to use for everyone. In essence, everyone shares their network connection and this creates a giant mesh — the beauty of it all? Everyone in Belgium has the same IP address — take that NSA! For more information check the links above.
Another view of the lounge from the other side. The space isn’t huge, but it’s definitely cosy.
Beside the entrance to the workshop we have the member storage shelf, where people can keep all their unfinished projects.
This is the back workshop.
Lots of space for messy projects, and there is even proper ventilation!
There’s an old potato canon hanging out on one of the cross-beam shelves.
This is pretty cool — the roof opens up and WhiteSpace hacked the mechanism to include a fan to help ventilate. It’s all controlled by a 3-position switch by the door.
More storage space…
One of the lounge couches and the sticker repository.
One of the members made a giant array of split-flap displays — 140 characters to be exact. Can you guess what it was for? Four of the characters stay here, and it’s still fully functional!
WhiteSpace also happened to have a supply of Hackerspace Passports! If you weren’t aware, these exist! We’re a few stamps behind now, but not all spaces even have a stamp yet. Can you spot the Hack A Day logo?
And finally a view of the kitchen and bar area. The small monitor on the left is powered by a Raspberry Pi which controls the food and beverage accounting system.
All in all, WhiteSpace is a really cool hackerspace with a lot of character and a great atmosphere. If you happen to be in or nearby Gent, Belgium — check it out!
Filed under: Hackerspaces
