CB-LAB

September 2022 - April 2023

Location: Zürich, Switzerland

Commissioned by: Clubbüro @ Rote Fabrik Zürich

Photography: Mar Glumbiarres, Studio C.A.R.E.

► co-creational community project

► multifunctional space: explore, develop, record, produce, rehearse and present music

► community-run, low threshold space

► acoustically active architecture with a seperated soundlock space, 2 facing formwork layers, technical floor and ceiling

► floor and 2nd facing formwork entirely acoustically decoupled

► customised, partially movebale and modular acoustic absorbers

► natural materials, healthy and cosy atmosphere


Together with a group of experts and a diverse community of music enthusiasts, we co-creatively built the CB Lab – a low-threshold but high-end experimentation space for electronic and electro-acoustic music. Creation, knowledge transfer and events converge in this space.
The CB Lab is a modular, flexible and multifunctional space designed to support various audio-related activities, including rehearsing, recording, pre-mastering, building and modifying self-built electronic instruments, as well as hosting workshops, live-streams and lectures.
Alongside Kathia von Roth, we moderated, participated in, and supervised the design and construction process. This involved collaborating with acoustic experts and future users to conceive the floorplan until installing the lighting with passionate LED gadget enthusiasts.
Every square centimetre and detail in this Lab has been customized, from the technical ceiling and cabling to the self-designed multimedia floor outlet boxes, acoustic absorbers, ROSy implementations, and furniture.
One crucial concept was the creation of a healthy environment, where materials not only enhance the space but actively support the room´s climate. To achieve this, we utilized hemp and recycled denim for insulation, silicate wall paint, ESB-boards, and wool-felt, which regulates moisture. Additionally, we incorporated 100% FSC plywood, recycled PET sheets, recycled nylon carpet, and mummified moss, to name just a few examples of sustainable materials.

See here for the build-up documentation

Altogether, the CB Lab is a space with a unique skill-set that brings together an enormous usage range and a cosy, healthy and inviting atmosphere.

See here for some impressions of the used CB-Lab