Hobs Studio at London's HereEast campus.
In an industry where alleged “ground-breaking” solutions and “world firsts” are ten a penny and the word "evangelist" is thrown around often, it can be very easy to become cynical – though I’d take that over another mention of a Star Trek replicator any day. But when you meet someone who has a genuine passion for not only their job but the impact that they can have on the wider industry and generation, it’s hard not to be infected by their positivity and vigour for the technology. That is exactly what happened to me when I was introduced to Kadine James of Hobs Studio last month.
I speak to James as the 3D Tech Lead for the UK’s largest 3D printing bureau is gearing up to host the first Women in 3D Printing regional meet-up at the studio’s HereEast home inside London's Olympic Park. The event is part of a growing network of chapters and events, spun out of the group founded by Nora Toure, to encourage more women to get involved and share their stories from the 3D printing industry.
Kadine James, 3D Tech Lead at Hobs Studio
“I'm on a mission with Nora and other incredible women across the globe to increase visibility around 3D printing so that we can get more women into 3D printing technologies, get them using 3D printing and equally, create a platform to support and amplify an agenda around digital skills and digital disruption and get more women from diverse backgrounds into the maker community," James explained, giving you just a sense of her enthusiasm for digital diversity.
Yet leading the UK’s Women in 3D Printing chapter is merely the most recent addition to James’ stacked CV, who spends her time engaging with young people as a STEM ambassador, working on digital inclusion and diversity workshops, and being actively involved in local initiatives such as the Smart London Camp to harness the city’s digital talents.
In her day job, James works closely with leading architects, engineers, and creatives to create content with a range of digital technologies including 3D printing, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). The studio works with artists like Grayson Perry and the Antony Gormley studio, AJ (Architects’ Journal) Top 100 architects such as Foster + Partners, Zaha Hadid Architects and also on major master planning projects, currently two of the biggest in Europe, where Hobs has produced the largest 3D printed masterplan in the UK at 3.6 x 2.6 x 1 m for Barking Riverside’s new 10,000 home development. It’s also currently working with Peabody, one of the UK’s oldest social housing providers on the regeneration of the Thamesmead New Town which will see over 2,500 new homes built over the next ten years.
“They are using [these technologies] in a way that, to my mind, hasn’t been used before by any other social housing provider,” James explained. “They're really grabbing these opportunities to connect with communities in and around place making and wider community engagement around how cities are built, how place making is part of the public realm.”
Thamesmead New Town 3D printed masterplan.
Community engagement plays a major role in much Hobs’ work, not only communicating with stakeholders, councillors, MPs and politicians via digital platforms but also the communities which will ultimately live, work and play in these environments once they become a reality. Taking this a step further, the bureau is also launching a 3D Academy in a bid to build a pool of 3D talent from across the UK that will equip the next generation and upskill the current workforce with skills for the future whether that’s data, CAD, 3D printing or beyond.
“This isn't just about tech companies, this is about all companies,” James elaborated. “As technology continues to grow and expand everybody needs to, in my view, be thinking about up-skilling their workforce and we're very focussed on promoting that agenda in particular for the UK.”
Last year, the UK’s additive manufacturing (AM) community was left understandably disheartened by the lack of AM in the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy plans to steer the industry. James believes that in order for the UK’s economy to succeed, digital and data skills are going to be at the centre of creating a more resilient workforce. To spearhead this change, Hobs has recently been working with students on training programmes around digital product design, digital data and 3D printing with The London Legacy Development Corporation to help foster these skills.
Hobs works across multiple disciplines including virtual reality shown here in the VRCUB3D.
“I also think in the next century we are going to be encountering more rapid change that is going to underpin how we employ people but it’s also going to have a huge impact on the labour market," James commented. "Automisation is going to be fundamental in terms of driving that change and with 3D printed houses and robots and all of the technology that is being used across the built environment and across the world's of fashion, engineering, all of these workflows are going to be focussed around digital and data.”
Hobs Studio was an early adopter of 3D printing and specialises in full colour, stereolithography and multi-jet 3D printing across its four Hobs 3D sites in London, Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow. Yet 3D printing is just one part of that story and the studio works across many different disciplines to maximise data in the most effective way possible whether that means flying a plane over a redevelopment area to create a 3D model or using a pop-up VRCUB3D to enable residents to immerse themselves in a future built environment.
“It’s all about the data, all about ways we can maximise that data right the way through to laser scanning, 3D modelling and also our 3D visualisation studio where we are creating VR and AR experiences and overlaying digital models in real time, which is just mind blowing.”
Hobs Studio is set to host the second Women in 3D Printing London meet-up on June 5th and is encouraging both users and newcomers of the technology to attend and share knowledge, something which James is striving to do day in, day out.
James added: “I want to use my platform and really use that as a powerful way to connect with communities that we work in and amplify the agenda around future skills, digital inclusion, women in technology and ways that we can create sustainable economies, socially and economically.”
