Welcome to Material Lab
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about us
The Material Lab is a collaborative research center dedicated to advancing the study of materials at Pratt. Housing over 25,000 unique material samples, the Material Lab’s circulating collection supports haptic design research and facilitates practical discussion about materials grounded in their characteristics, composition, application, and impact. Additionally, our community-building initiatives supplement and contextualize our physical collection and include frequent office and studio visits, a lunch-and-learn series, and our annual Material Lab Prize. Through the Material Lab’s expansive resources and programming, designers at Pratt establish and refine a material literacy that will guide their design work in and beyond their time at Pratt.
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Hours
Monday: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday: CLOSED
Sunday: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
We’re located in ENG 005, in the basement of Engineering Building on Pratt’s Brooklyn campus (200 Willoughby Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205). Please address deliveries to:
The Material Lab at
Pratt Institute
379 DeKalb Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
11205
ATTN: Jay Lemire, Eng 005
Book an APPOINTMENT
If you are faculty and would like to schedule an orientation for your class, book your group orientation session here!
If you are a student and would like to schedule an individual orientation, or would like to meet to discuss in-depth research, book your meeting here!
If you are a member of the Pratt community and would like to schedule a general meeting in the Material Lab, book your meeting here!
OUR COLLECTION
The cornerstone of the Material Lab is our physical collection of circulating samples. While the Lab’s origins as a resource for Pratt’s Interior Design department are evident in our range of interior surfaces and finishes, our composition-driven organization helps to support exploration and experimentation for students in a range of art and design fields. Our primary collection is organized within 9 categories: Textiles, Glass, Ceramics, Stone, Wood, Polymers, Metals, Composites and Surface Finishes.
MATERIAL LAB PRIZE
The Material Lab Prize is a $1,000 grant awarded annually by the Material Lab at Pratt Institute’s School of Design to a student designer whose work makes use of trash. The prize seeks to celebrate and exhibit student work that considers waste streams as a springboard for new design thinking.
In collaboration with the Center for Sustainable Design Strategies and Pratt’s Givetake recycling initiative, the Material Lab Prizes challenges designers at Pratt to incorporate salvaged material, repurposed waste, or found objects in their work. We invite students from any department to submit completed designs that make significant use of reclaimed materials. Submissions at any scale will be considered, including but not limited to apparel, architectural models, furnishings, household goods, or speculative projects. Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of design professionals and the review process will culminate in an exhibition of submitted work.
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HELP US EXPAND THE MATERIAL LIBRARY
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.