Pilot case 04

Onl'fait

Manufacturing
 Geneva, Switzerland
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Pilot location
Location Geneva, Switzerland
Areas Manufacturing
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PILOT CASE 04
About the pilot

About Onl'fait

Onl’fait is an open Fab Lab that offers technical, technological and human resources for digital craftsmanship.

It provides professional and amateur craftspeople with the necessary tools for repairing, creating, developing and conceiving a prototype of product, supporting circularity in the economy and embedding crafts skills in the urban fabric.

 It provides professional and amateur craftspeople with the necessary tools for repairing, creating, developing and conceiving a prototype of product, supporting circularity in the economy and embedding crafts skills in the urban fabric.

Learn more about Onl'Fait ↗
Onl'fait From idea to product: Onl'fait empowers makers through digital craftsmanship, circular economy principles and local production.

Bridging the Gap 
Led by Onl’fait, a Fab Lab based in Geneva (Switzerland), the Bridging the Gap pilot brought together digital fabrication and traditional craft knowledge, with a primary focus on woodworking. It fostered innovation by integrating digital technologies into artisanal processes and the creative industries, aiming to map Geneva’s craft ecosystem and provide craftspeople with pathways for digital and circular transitions.

The pilot maintained its ambition to deliver programming around digital fabrication, the circular economy, and traditional craft knowledge (TCK), while also contributing to local government efforts supporting vocational training, sustainable manufacturing and the regional economy. Sustainability, circular principles, and open-source tools remained central, ensuring the archiving and accessibility of traditional know-how.

Through the development of vocation training workshops, an accelerator program, a public exhibition and an upcycling innovation challenge, Bridging the Gap successfully raised visibility and recognition of Geneva’s craft ecosystem and its societal value.

Pilot case overview

Activities, results and impact

01
Pilot development

Activities

  • Experiment with different learning formats to support craftspeople to think and work in a transdisciplinary way 
  • Collaboration with local stakeholders in the economic sector to launch a program supporting new crafts in the Geneva region 
02
Project outputs

Results

  • Build bridges between traditional techniques in woodworking and digital fabrication
  • Develop concepts such as circular economy, digital craftsmanship, distributed design, open source and open hardware, heritage and urban manufacturing, waste, repair, and prototyping
03
Expected change

Impact

  • A hybrid mentorship system will be offered and tested, in which different models cross-pollinate and local industries, new artisans and vocational schools are bridged

TIMELINE

  • March - October 2026

    Re:Make Design Project! 
    Onl’fait is joining forces with the local actors Hiflow and Renfile to launch Re:Make, a project that revitalizes reclaimed objects through design. By bringing together artisans, creatives, and stakeholders in the circular economy, Re:Make embodies an approach to innovation firmly rooted in commitment to a shared mission: giving objects a second life by transforming them through upcycling. 12 designers have been selected and will now upcycle products from the next door second hand shop and then use the Makerlab to design and prototype new solutions that will be exhibited in the next Hi-Flow exhibition entitled “Design@Work”. 



  • October 2025 - March 2026

    An exhibition at the Association du Patrimoine Industriel (API) presenting the Swiss chalet as a heritage symbol. The exhibition explores construction techniques, cultural narratives (folklore and symbolism), contemporary interpretations, and sustainable futures. In addition to the real chalet in the museum courtyard, the exhibition features discussions with local craftspeople, architects, and heritage organisations.



  • September 2024

    Onl’fait welcomed a diverse group of participants to the AXEL programme - a three-month acceleration programme for craftspeople and individuals with innovative craft-based projects. It offered mentorship in business development, digital fabrication training (via Onl’fait), and strategic planning support (via Fondetec), with a strong focus on sustainability and circular economy principles. Participants integrated digital fabrication into their work to optimise processes or explore new creative directions.

     
     

  • October - December 2023

    Two rounds of a makerspace programme  designed for vocational schools were delivered in partnership with the For Pro Foundation. Dedicated to vocational students and young people disengaged from formal education, the programme explored crafts, digitalisation, and circularity as vocational pathways, providing hands-on experience in digital fabrication. The initiative demonstrated how combining traditional crafts with digital tools can motivate young people to explore future career opportunities.