Ben Hagenaars graduated as a master in Productdesign at the MAD-faculty in Genk. Additionally he gained a post-graduate degree in packaging design at Sint-Lucas Gent. He is active in the development of Resource Lab, a project on redesigning existing objects and materials using open-source tools. He is currently working as a designer/researcher on his PhD project Cultivating Communities. The aim of the project is to engage and enable local communities to participate in designing sustainable scenarios.