About
Nicolas de Barquin — building knowledge systems, one evidence block at a time.
I build systems that make knowledge visible — from the CLI to the graph. I founded OpenFab in 2012, a fablab in Brussels where people come to build things they can’t build alone. Over the past decade, that role has taught me more about governance, community dynamics, and shared infrastructure than any book could.
Before fablabs, I worked in operations systems engineering. The transition sounds dramatic, but the patterns rhyme: distributed systems, protocol design, fault tolerance. The scale changed; the thinking didn’t.
Skills as Evidence
This portfolio doesn’t claim skills — it demonstrates them. The patterns gallery shows emerging skill clusters backed by documented work. Each pattern links to the evidence trail, built from timestamped blocks that accumulate over time.
I believe the best way to demonstrate skill is to show the work, not to talk about it. That’s what this site attempts to do.