High-tech production space opens in BDD

‘Geek Express’ promotes Do-It-Yourself culture

‘Geek Express’, a new concept store by entrepreneur Tarek Dajani, recently opened in the new Beirut Digital District (BDD) on Nassif Al Yazagi Street.

The concept consists mainly of a communal lab that aims at inspiring people to learn and interact in a high-tech DIY (Do-It-Yourself) environment, in collaboration with the BDD management.

“Geek Express is a production space for people to create stuff they need and do not actually find in the market,” said Bassem Dghaidy, managing partner at Geek Express.

The store features a workshop area fitted with equipment such as MakerBot 3D printers, SparkFun electronics, littleBits, Arduinos, and others tools and systems. Visitors can design and build their own electronic and/or robotic items, as well as seek assistance and guidance from the store’s experts, said Dghaidy.

Geek Express covers a total area of 250 square meters and also includes a gallery, an educational and conference space, a retail outlet, and a coffee shop. “We also have a small museum to display vintage hardware and electronics.”

Dghaidy said that over $100,000 were invested in the project, a heavy sum for such a concept. “We will test the concept’s impact and the public’s reaction towards the space. If it succeeds, we have plans to spread the Geek Express concept locally and globally.”

Geek Express is currently seeking to collaborate with universities and research and development centers to spread the DIY culture, according to Dghaidy.