A Perfekt Futur – GEElab Europe in Karlsruhe

Having existed at interimsic sites since the beginning of 2012, on Friday, 12 April 2013, RMIT University's Games & Experimental Entertainment Lab (GEELab) moved into and finally opened its official European office and research facility in Karlsruhe, Germany.

In an agreement signed between the City of Karlsruhe and RMIT University in May of 2012, the RMIT games research lab is the first of its kind to be opened within Europe, and will soon be followed by the opening of RMIT University's RMIT Europe facility in Barcelona, Spain, in June this year.

GEElab Europe is housed in the landmarked, fully revived and renovated creative hub, Perfekt Futur in the Oststadt area of Karlsruhe. The brick building, a historic and former slaughterhouse, features sixty-eight shipping containers converted into approximately thirty offices - the worlds's first indoor container city. The offices are dedicated to entrepreneurial and creative industries and are a mix of private and commercial businesses.

Starting in 2011, GEElab Australia opened its first research office at the RMIT Melbourne campus and boasts five doctoral researchers, plus special projects currently active.

The GEElab Europe team is formed by Early Career Researcher researcher, Dr Jussi Holopainen; three full-time Doctoral Researchers – Jens M Stober, Dominik Stampfl and Sven Krome; Finance Officer Nina Wlodarczyk; Coordinator Luisa Kautzmann; and architect and designer Daniel von Seld.

Both teams are directed by Associate Professor Dr Steffen P Walz.

GEElab Europe from left: Jens, Steffen, Nina, Lauren, Daniel and Dominik