Architectures of the commons: collaborative spaces and innovation

Abstract The present article aims at analyzing the dynamics of innovation that emerges and develops in some iconic collaborative spaces that are epicenters of a technological or artistic revolution. The study focuses on three cases (the Homebrew Computer Club, the TransMedTech institute, and the elBulli restaurant). The results highlight some important common traits between these collaborative spaces, namely: The dynamics of innovation in these spaces is orchestrated by bottom-up initiatives carried out by informal groups of passionate individuals (called the “commoners” in the contribution) who articulate a series of “innovation commons” to develop their collaborative innovative project. Based on our observations, the dynamics of innovation in the collaborative spaces results from the following sequence of commons: 1) social relationship commons, 2) symbolic commons, and 3) innovation commons. Each of these commons corresponds to a collective action governance mechanism over a specific common pool resource which is a key determinant of the innovative project.