Interview to Macarena Conte Llompart from TMDC

What LAUDS means and how do you envision the future of production in Europe?

LAUDS is an invitation to rethink how and where we make things. It speaks of production as a shared act, where knowledge moves between people, tools and technologies. These are environments where collaboration shapes every stage of the process – bringing together makers, artisans, SMEs, designers and citizens – and where infrastructures make manufacturing possible in ways that are accessible, local and adaptable.

I see the future of production in Europe (and hopefully, in the world) as a return to a human-centred, place-based approach. In a time of climate urgency and global uncertainty, it is essential to work with what we have – our materials, skills and traditions – and to innovate from there. It means building on traditional craft and knowledge from local culture while embracing the possibilities of new technologies, creating production models that are both modern and deeply connected to their environment.

From my own experience – moving between design, construction and the collaborative energy of shared manufacturing spaces – I believe in the transformative power of making together. When people, resources and ideas meet in the right conditions, production becomes more than the sum of its parts: it turns into a source of community, of resilience, and of ways of making that bring together aesthetic quality, environmental care and social belonging, not as abstract ideals, but as guiding principles in every decision, material and interaction.

What’s the role of TMDC?

Within LAUDS, TMDC’s role is to act as a laboratory for rethinking and prototyping how we produce in cities – an active testing ground for the future of making. This industrial co-working, is a place where the precision of industry meets the spontaneity of human connection, and where professional tools are within anyone’s reach. Our mission in this project is to put the LAUDS factory model into practice, generating evidence, learnings and inspiration for its replication.

TMDC will host two selected teams, giving them open access to professional-level fabrication facilities and machinery for wood, metal, plastics, textile and electronics, as well as the knowledge and support of a strong community of artisans, designers, makers. It’s not just about providing infrastructure – it’s about immersing projects in a collaborative environment that bridges traditional craft and modern manufacturing. TMDC is proving that urban production can be open, accessible and decentralised – and that a factory can feel like a community in motion, generating insights and examples that help shape a more resilient and sustainable future of production.

What expertise can you offer?

My background is in architecture and construction project management. My involvement in LAUDS allows me to merge these skills and bring them into a new scale – distributed manufacturing. I can clearly recognise the principles of the LAUDS philosophy in most of the projects I have created and participated in:
Within my architectural work, I have explored self-building, which I consider the most direct path to making architecture ACCESSIBLE – always with a focus on vernacular (aka LOCAL) design, where one of the guiding principles is the use of SUSTAINABLE materials sourced from the surrounding environment. I was able to put these ideas into action through a community-led project with DECENTRALISED organisation, in an URBAN setting – proving they can thrive in real city environments.
I can also bring insight from a LAUDS factory user’s perspective: my first contact with TMDC was as a member. I joined through a temporary project – the creation of a dance scenography piece, completely outside my field – made possible thanks to this open, shared and fully-equipped workspace model. I was captivated not only by the access to tools and machines, but by the community that shapes the project.
At TMDC, in my role as project manager for LAUDS, I connect people and tools to turn shared visions into practical outcomes, ensuring that every step remains collaborative and grounded.
I specialise in fostering environments where local production and collective effort become catalysts for real change.