The Constitute
The Constitute is a German design studio (Zöllner + Piatza eGbR) that builds physical installations, mobile fabrication labs, and maker-space programs for museums, universities, and federal agencies, founded in 2007 and now based in Saxony.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Constitute does
The Constitute is a German design studio and research practice operating under the legal entity Zöllner + Piatza eGbR, co-founded in 2007 by Christian Zöllner and Sebastian Piatza. The studio works at the intersection of design research, digital fabrication, and public engagement, producing physical installations, interactive exhibits, and mobile educational units for cultural and civic institutions. It relocated from Berlin to Pulsnitz/Oberlichtenau in Saxony in 2018, situating operations near its regional manufacturing and education partners.
Its core product portfolio comprises bespoke installations (Sensegrity, Point of You) plus a family of mobile labs and maker-space programs: Fabmobil (mobile fabrication), Lokallabore (federated maker-space network), SKD Medialab (with Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden), TEC MOBIL (with VDI), and Energie Mobil (BMBF-funded). Underlying technology relies on digital fabrication tools (3D printing, laser cutting, CNC), parametric design, VR/AR, and engineered materials including Shape Memory Alloys. No software-as-a-service product is offered; each deliverable is a commissioned, project-based engagement.
The business model is institutional commissioning: revenues derive from contracts with federal ministries (BMBF), foundations (Drosos Stiftung), museums and cultural institutions (SKD, Marta Herford, Deutsches Hygiene-Museum), applied-research institutes (Fraunhofer IWU), and manufacturers (KPM Berlin), supplemented by exhibition licensing and design-research grants. Distribution is driven by the mobile-lab format, which extends the studio's reach into rural and underserved educational markets across Germany and, via international exhibitions, into global cultural venues.
The Constitute firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Constitute
- Legal name
- Zöllner + Piatza eGbR
- Website
- https://theconstitute.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- The Constitute is a German design studio (Zöllner + Piatza eGbR) that builds physical installations, mobile fabrication labs, and maker-space programs for museums, universities, and federal agencies, founded in 2007 and now based in Saxony.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Constitute industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Speculative Design Research Services
- NAICS
- Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510), Graphic Design Services (541430)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Makerspaces & Fab Labs (Open Build Studios) (EDAMADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Event Fabrication & Scenic/Set Build (Custom Builds, Installations) (BPAFAGAK), Production Design & Art Department Services (Sets, Props, Scenic) (MPADAFAG), Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC), Design & Maker Skills (Graphic Design, Calligraphy, Lettering) (EDAAAGAJ)
Keywords
Where The Constitute is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Constitute business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Project Commissions: The studio works on commissioned projects for institutions including museums, universities, and government agencies. Revenue comes from designing and producing installations, exhibitions, and educational programs.
- Residency Programs: Company residencies such as the Phase XI program at Königliche Porzellan Manufaktur Berlin, where they explore ceramic 3D printing in industrial contexts.
- Government Contracts: Projects commissioned by government bodies including the Federal Ministry for Research and Science, working with institutions like Futurium Berlin on mobile exhibition architecture.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Constitute product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Constitute is a design studio and research institute that designs, fabricates, and delivers physical installations, mobile fabrication laboratories, makerspaces, educational programs, and curated festivals for institutional clients. Its work combines speculative design, digital fabrication, VR/AR prototyping, and design education, delivered as commissioned projects, residencies, and long-running programs such as Fabmobil, Lokallabore, SKD Medialab, Retune Festival, and Hurra Hurra.
Product overview
The Constitute is a design studio and research institute operating at the intersection of design and research, design and education, and technology-driven experiments. Their portfolio consists of physical installations, mobile educational units, maker spaces, educational programs, and public events rather than a unified software platform. Key offerings include the Fabmobil and Lokallabore Network (mobile and stationary makerspaces bringing creative technologies to rural East Germany), SKD Medialab (makerspace within a museum), and various interactive installations such as Point of You (VR-based empathic experience), CYCLE (plastic recycling installation), Sensegrity (SMA-based light sculpture), and mobile exhibition units (TEC MOBIL, Energie Mobil). Their educational work includes digital prototyping programs, speculative design courses, and festivals like Retune and Hurra Hurra that explore creative technologies and design education.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Fabmobil: A mobile fablab - a moving art and digital laboratory equipped with digital prototyping technology, serving rural and decentralized areas in East Germany.
- Lokallabore
- SKD Medialab
Products and services
- Fabmobil – Mobile Fab Lab A mobile Fab Lab equipped with digital and prototyping technology (3D printers, laser cutters, VR headsets, micro controllers) that operates in rural and decentralized areas of East Germany, bringing creative technologies and maker education to communities outside urban centers.
- Lokallabore Network A network of small-sized makerspaces situated in smaller towns and villages across Saxony and Brandenburg, enabling marginalized groups in rural areas to explore creative technologies and connect with like-minded peers over multi-year accompaniment cycles.
- SKD Medialab An open technology workshop and meeting space at the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Japanisches Palais), providing creative technology access and educational programs for individuals and school classes.
- CYCLE – Playful Plastic Recycling Interactive installation featuring claw machines where children fish out plastic packaging, sort and separate plastics, and create products from recycled materials through DIY bicycle shredders and injection molding machines.
- TEC MOBIL – Mobile MINT Education Space A mobile STEM education space designed as a double-decker bus with folding roof and extensive technological equipment, developed in cooperation with VDI (German Association of Engineers) for bringing MINT education to various locations.
- Point of You – Empathic Group Experience Participatory and interactive installation featuring four data masks with VR headsets and wireless camera eyes, enabling users to explore disembodied vision experiences and develop empathic behaviors through shared sensory exploration.
- Energie Mobil – Mobile Exhibition Space Mobile exhibition architecture designed as a transportable trailer for presenting renewable energy exhibits at marketplaces, schools, and rural locations, developed for the Federal Ministry and Futurium Berlin.
- Sensegrity – Dynamic Light Sculpture Dynamic light sculpture using Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) springs based on Tensegrity structures; the sculpture transforms its geometric shape through thermal activation of SMA elements, displayed at Fraunhofer IWU Dresden.
- Digital Prototyping Educational Program Educational project exploring digital prototyping methods including 3D modeling software, VR sketching apps, 3D scanners, parametric design, CAD, and various manufacturing processes for students at HTW Dresden.
- Digital Porcelain Manufactory Research residency at Königliche Porzellan Manufaktur Berlin exploring ceramic 3D printing in industrial contexts, evaluating implementation of additive manufacturing into traditional porcelain production infrastructure.
- Retune Festival Annual festival for creative technologies featuring speakers, workshops, and hands-on maker activities, co-curated by The Constitute with Julian Adenauer and the Retune community since 2012.
- Hurra Hurra Festival 46-hour festival on design education held at Burg Giebichenstein Art University Halle, examining school systems, experimenting with learning methods, and discussing content and approaches for design studies.
- Landsichten Innovation Camp Innovation camp focusing on rural areas and the role of cultural and creative industries in solving structural change, skilled worker shortages, and tourism challenges, held at Kühlhaus Görlitz.
- Stage Design for Sonic Robots Stage design collaboration with sound artist Moritz Simon Geist and his robot orchestra, developing foldable display structures (Tripods One) for robotic sound performances featuring kinetic sculptures with physical tone-generators.
Companies that use The Constitute
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
The Constitute technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
The Constitute partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- VDI (German Association of Engineers)coreProduced TEC MOBIL - mobile MINT education space in close cooperation with VDI. Studio handled full project circle from consultation on tour concept through bus conversion, furniture design, production and installation.
- Futurium BerlinminorLong-term collaboration with Futurium on science communication projects. BMBF commissioned mobile exhibition architecture bringing renewable energy knowledge to marketplaces, schools, and rural areas.
- Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD)coreSKD commissioned The Constitute to design and set up an open technology workshop (SKD Medialab) at Japanisches Palais in Dresden. The studio designed spaces, curates educational programs with twice-weekly public events, and maintains ongoing operational partnership.
- Fraunhofer IWU DresdencoreCooperation on the Sensegrity project developing a transforming light sculpture using Shape Memory Alloy springs. The sculpture is displayed at the Fraunhofer HQ in Dresden. Partnership involved nearly 2 years of development exploring reactive materials for design applications.
- Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule HallecoreOngoing academic partnership where Christian Zöllner serves as professor for experimental design methods. Students participate in semester projects culminating in festivals like Hurra Hurra (46h design education festival). The studio conducts teaching and research through this institutional partnership.
- Kompetenzzentrum Kultur- und Kreativwirtschaft des BundesminorPartner in LANDSICHTEN Innovation Camp addressing rural development through creative industries. Federal competence center for creative industries supporting structural change initiatives.
- Smart3 Innovation NetworkminorInnovation network focused on experimental and analytic use of Shape Memory Alloy. The Constitute participated through Sensegrity competition developing SMA spring applications for design.
- Verbung offener WerkstättenminorLarger network connecting German open workshops that Lokallabore is integrated into, enabling knowledge sharing and resource pooling across regional makerspaces.
- Königliche Porzellan Manufaktur Berlin (KPM)coreThe Constitute was invited by Phase XI program for a 5-week company residency at KPM to explore ceramic 3D printing in industrial contexts. Worked alongside material scientists to configure special porcelain compositions for robo casting systems, examining formal implications of ceramic 3D printing processes in traditional manufacturing environments.
- Goethe Institut MontrealminorCommissioned Zeit-Slice project - interactive 360° video projections of Berlin city views displayed at Goethe Institut windows in Montreal as touch-sensitive window installations.
- Retune ConferencecoreLong-standing co-curating partnership with Julian Adenauer and the Retune community. The studio has co-organized the annual conference since 2012, focusing on critical and foresighting use of technologies. Format evolved from conference to festival in 2016 emphasizing workshops and peer exchange.
- Sonice DevelopmentminorFormer Berlin studio co-occupants and collaborative partners in the Applied Future Studio in Kreuzberg before The Constitute relocated to Dresden.
- Quintessenz CreationminorFormer Berlin studio co-occupants and collaborative partners in the Applied Future Studio in Kreuzberg before The Constitute relocated to Dresden.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Constitute competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy with deep speculative design and human-centered design practices. Comparable as a professional services design studio serving institutional and government clients, though at much larger scale and with broader commercial orientation.
- Autostadt: Wolfsburg-based mobility and design experience center with interactive installations, maker activities, and public programming. Comparable in operating visitor-facing maker/design experiences for a large institutional client.
- MIT Media Lab: Academic research lab at MIT producing speculative design, fabrication, and human-machine interaction work. Comparable in operating model (research-driven, project-based, fabrication-heavy) though operating at vastly greater scale within a university.
Direct peers
- Phaeno: German science and design center in Wolfsburg designed by Zaha Hadid, offering interactive exhibitions and maker-oriented programming. Comparable as a German institution combining speculative design, fabrication, and public engagement.
- Ars Electronica: Austrian research institute and festival operating at the intersection of art, technology, and society, with a Futurelab, museum, and Prix Ars Electronica awards. Highly comparable to The Constitute in its combination of speculative design research, public exhibitions, festival curation, and creative-tech education.
- Fab Lab Foundation: Global non-profit network that originated the Fab Lab concept (originating from MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms). Directly comparable to Fabmobil and Lokallabore as the umbrella organization for the makerspace model The Constitute operationalizes.
- Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle: German art university where Christian Zöllner holds a professorship and where Hurra Hurra design-education festival was held. Comparable as a peer institution engaging in digital fabrication education, speculative design, and student-led creative-tech projects.
- Science Gallery International: Global network of university-affiliated venues creating programs at the intersection of art and science, often incorporating maker spaces and public engagement. Comparable as institutional-facing creative-tech programming organization.
- Aalto University Design Factory: Finnish university-affiliated design and fabrication facility combining digital prototyping, maker education, and industry collaboration. Comparable as an academic-industrial makerspace and design-research collaboration model.
- Fraunhofer IWU Dresden: German applied research institute focused on production technology and smart materials. The Constitute's Sensegrity project was a direct co-development with Fraunhofer IWU Dresden, making it both a partner and a structurally similar R&D/design entity working on reactive materials and fabrication.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Constitute social profiles
Digital presenceThe Constitute financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Constitute leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Constitute funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Constitute M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Constitute
What does The Constitute do?
The Constitute is a design studio and research institute that designs, fabricates, and delivers physical installations, mobile fabrication laboratories, makerspaces, educational programs, and curated festivals for institutional clients. Its work combines speculative design, digital fabrication, VR/AR prototyping, and design education, delivered as commissioned projects, residencies, and long-running programs such as Fabmobil, Lokallabore, SKD Medialab, Retune Festival, and Hurra Hurra.
Is The Constitute a public or private company?
The Constitute is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Constitute founded?
The Constitute was founded in 2007.
Where is The Constitute based?
The Constitute is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does The Constitute make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Project Commissions are the primary driver. The others are residency Programs and government Contracts.
Who are The Constitute's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are IDEO, Autostadt and MIT Media Lab. Direct peers are Phaeno, Ars Electronica, Fab Lab Foundation, Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle, Science Gallery International, Aalto University Design Factory and Fraunhofer IWU Dresden.
Does The Constitute have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Constitute.
What industry is The Constitute in?
The Constitute's product category is Speculative Design Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMADAC, Makerspaces & Fab Labs (Open Build Studios), with a secondary code of BPAFAGAK, Event Fabrication & Scenic/Set Build (Custom Builds, Installations). Its NAICS code is 711510 and its SIC code is 2741.