HUB: Make Lab

HUB: Make Lab, also known as the Hub, is a Philippine creative-space initiative located inside the former Berg's Department Store premises of the First United Building on Escolta Street in Binondo, Manila. It combines adaptive reuse, small-scale retail, creative incubation, cultural programming, and community-building. Rather than operating as a conventional shopping mall, the venue provides relatively small leasable spaces to local designers, artists, makers, and other creative entrepreneurs, while also functioning as an exhibition and gathering venue. The project developed from the activity of 98B COLLABoratory, an artist collective established in 2012. 98B opened a studio on the mezzanine of the First United Building and, in 2013, began the Saturday X Future Market. That recurring market was intended to help reactivate Escolta, a historically important commercial street that had experienced long-term decline. The market's audience and the increasing foot traffic generated by Escolta's cultural activity helped create the conditions for a more permanent creative retail and community venue. HUB: Make Lab opened in 2016 following the Saturday X Future Market and the first Escolta Block Party. It was organized as a joint project of 98B COLLABoratory and the First United Building, linking the artist collective's community and programming expertise with the building's historic commercial premises. Its adaptive-reuse model turned part of a former department-store environment into a platform for independent enterprises and cultural activity. The venue's spaces were reported as ranging from approximately 6.12 to 12.25 square meters and accommodating about 22 businesses, illustrating its focus on compact, low-barrier premises rather than large conventional stores. The Hub's tenants and programming have included local creative businesses, craft and design sellers, and exhibitions. Permanent or longer-term occupants associated with the space include Fred's Revolución, a rustic pub whose Escolta location was the second branch of a business that began at Cubao Expo; The Den: Coffee & Contemporary Culture, a café and cultural venue at the rear of the First United Building; and Folk 1006, a barbershop whose name refers both to ordinary people and to the 1006 area code associated with Binondo. The Den's programming connects coffee with art, design, music, lifestyle, emerging communities, and new ideas. In December 2018, HUB: Make Lab evolved into its own organization serving creative and action-oriented communities, rather than remaining only a project of its original collaborators. Its model subsequently became a reference point for other Philippine creative hubs. The venue is best understood as a place-based cultural and entrepreneurial platform: its value lies in combining affordable or compact retail opportunities, social interaction, heritage-building reuse, and creative programming. Publicly available reference material does not establish a current corporate ownership structure, financial performance, executive roster, website, or definitive operating status.

HUB: Make Lab emerged from efforts to restore cultural and commercial activity to Escolta, one of Manila's historic streets. The project's institutional background is 98B COLLABoratory, an artist collective established in 2012. The collective established its studio on the mezzanine of the First United Building, a historic property in which the former Berg's Department Store space would later become the Hub. In 2013, 98B began the Saturday X Future Market. The market provided an experimental setting for artists, designers, makers, and independent sellers while also attempting to bring visitors back to Escolta. Its recurring format helped build an audience and demonstrated demand for a creative community venue in the area. Activity around the market contributed to growing foot traffic and to the first Escolta Block Party, a street event associated with the later development of HUB: Make Lab. The Hub opened in 2016 in the former department-store space of the First United Building. It was established as a project of 98B COLLABoratory and the First United Building, combining a cultural collective's programming and network with a heritage building's available commercial space. Its operating concept was adaptive reuse: instead of treating the old department-store premises solely as a conventional retail site, the project divided the area into compact units for creative enterprises and used parts of the venue for exhibitions and community activity. The venue was characterized as an alternative shopping center and creative incubator. Reported leasable spaces ranged from 6.12 to 12.25 square meters, with capacity for around 22 businesses. This scale suited small independent operators that might not have been able to occupy a conventional commercial storefront. Tenants could present locally made products, crafts, design goods, and other creative work, while exhibitions and events gave the site a cultural role beyond retail. The Hub also developed a stable mix of food, beverage, grooming, and cultural occupants. Fred's Revolución operated an Escolta branch beside the Hub after opening its first branch at Cubao Expo. The Den: Coffee & Contemporary Culture operated at the rear of the First United Building as a café and programming venue where coffee intersected with Philippine art, design, music, lifestyle, and emerging communities. Folk 1006 operated as a barbershop, with its name referencing both common people and Binondo's local area code. By December 2018, HUB: Make Lab had evolved into its own organization serving creative and action-oriented communities. This marked a shift from a project principally identified with its founding partners toward a more distinct organizational identity. The Hub's approach was subsequently cited as a reference for other Philippine creative hubs, including Pineapple Lab, which had operated in Poblacion, Makati, before closing in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The available reference material does not provide a detailed account of HUB: Make Lab's later operations, financial structure, leadership, or current status.

• 2018

  The Hub becomes its own organization

  [1]HUB: Make Laben.wikipedia.org

  By December, HUB: Make Lab is described as having evolved into an independent organization serving creative and action-oriented communities.

• 2016

  HUB: Make Lab opens

  [1]HUB: Make Laben.wikipedia.org

  The adaptive-reuse creative hub opens in the former Berg's Department Store space inside the First United Building.

• 2013

  Saturday X Future Market begins

  [1]HUB: Make Laben.wikipedia.org

  98B launches a recurring market intended to help reactivate Escolta and provide a platform for independent creative sellers.

• 2012

  98B COLLABoratory is established

  [1]HUB: Make Laben.wikipedia.org

  The artist collective behind the later Hub begins its work and eventually establishes a studio in the First United Building.

A heritage-based creative hub that combines adaptive reuse, independent retail, cultural programming, and support for local creative entrepreneurs.

• Retail and incubation space · 2016

  Creative retail stalls

  Compact leasable units designed for independent artists, makers, designers, and creative entrepreneurs. The stalls allow small businesses to display and sell locally produced goods within a shared, community-oriented environment rather than operating as isolated storefronts.

• Cultural programming · 2016

  Cultural exhibitions and events

  HUB: Make Lab also functions as a venue for exhibitions and community activities. These programs extend the space's role beyond commerce by connecting retail tenants with art, design, creative practice, and public activity in Escolta.

• Incubation and community development · 2018

  Creative community platform

  The Hub provides a shared physical and social platform for creative and action-oriented communities. Its model combines small business premises, cultural exchange, heritage-building reuse, and access to audiences drawn to Escolta's revitalization efforts.

• 2016Escolta Block Party

  Escolta · Manila

  A street-party initiative associated with increasing activity in Escolta and the development of the Hub's audience and community.

  Outcome. The event helped demonstrate demand for a permanent creative and alternative-retail venue in the district.

  Source
• 2013Saturday X Future Market

  Escolta · Manila

  A recurring market organized by 98B COLLABoratory to support independent creative sellers and increase activity along historic Escolta Street. It served as an important precursor to the permanent Hub.

  Outcome. The market helped build foot traffic and community interest that contributed to the later opening of HUB: Make Lab.

  Source

• 2018

  Establish the Hub as its own organizationStrategy

  Background

  After operating as a project of 98B COLLABoratory and the First United Building, the venue had developed a distinct community and identity.

  Action taken

  By December 2018, HUB: Make Lab evolved into its own organization serving creative and action-oriented communities.

  Aftermath

  The organization became a reference for other creative hubs in the Philippines.

  Source

• 2016

  Convert a former department-store space into a creative hubStrategy

  Background

  The project followed the Saturday X Future Market and sought to build on renewed cultural activity and foot traffic in historic Escolta.

  Action taken

  98B COLLABoratory and the First United Building created an alternative shopping and incubation venue using compact spaces for creative businesses and areas for exhibitions.

  Aftermath

  The model positioned the Hub as a notable Philippine example of adaptive reuse and community-oriented creative retail.

  Source

1. 1HUB: Make Laben.wikipedia.org