Where community grows
A 10,000 sq ft community space for makers, musicians, coders, and cooks. Come build something.
Knowledge belongs to everyone.
The Fertile Soil is a free, open community in Oakland, California – a place where anyone can learn, make, teach, and belong. We believe the tools of the future – CNC design and fabrication, AI, music, food – should be in the hands of the people who have often been left out. Everything we build here, we share with the world. No paywalls. No gatekeeping. Just fertile ground.
What we’re building right now.
Everything made at The Fertile Soil is documented and shared freely. Here are three projects we are currently working on.
Two paths. One roof.
PERFORMANCE SIDE
Sound & Gathering
Three intimate music spaces, a full kitchen, and room for up to 300 people. A place to listen, perform, eat, and simply be together.
500 SQ FT · 1–10 PEOPLE
The Listening Room
Intimate sound space for deep listening and music making.
1,200 SQ FT · UP TO 30 PEOPLE
The Home
A warm gathering room for workshops, screenings, and community.
3,000 SQ FT · UP TO 300 PEOPLE
The Garden
Our largest space. Concerts, festivals, lectures, celebrations.
500 SQ FT · UP TO 3 PEOPLE
Practice Studios
Multiple small studios for solo practice or working with up to two others on a sound project.
800 SQ FT · OPEN KITCHEN
The Kitchen
Cooking classes and community meals. Always something on the stove.
BUILD SIDE
Making & Learning
Woodworking, metal, clay, 3D printing, and a full computer lab. Open to anyone who wants to build something with their hands or their mind.
1,000 SQ FT
Wood Workshop
Tools and timber. Design and build real objects from plywood.
1,000 SQ FT
Metal & Clay
Metalwork and ceramics. Get your hands dirty. Make something that lasts.
1,000 SQ FT
Additive Design
3D printing and rapid prototyping. Turn a sketch into a physical object.
500 SQ FT
Computer Lab
Free computers for coding, AI, and digital making. Always open.
500 SQ FT
Classroom
A flexible room for teaching classes, group discussion, and podcasting.