A Proactive Stance: The Importance of Advance Lab Planning

Wan Leung, AIA, principal with FCA, is co-author of this piece.

Whether for a biotech startup or an established research organization, early and proactive planning for the design and construction of a new, renovated, or expanded laboratory smooths the design and construction processes, resulting in faster completion times and lower costs. More than that, project strategies established in early-stage planning and programming can help a firm or institution rise above competitors with the creation of world-class laboratories supporting boundary-busting research.

Bob and Wan spoke about this topic in their webinar “The Importance of Advance Lab Planning,” part of Lab Design’s 2024 Lab Design Digital Summit, available for free on demand viewing.

Assembling a leadership team at the start of a project will help ensure the research entity’s project reflects the valued perspectives of colleagues. This team should include users, experienced facilities managers, real estate professionals, and design partners who are well-versed in the culture of the organization behind the new laboratory, along with the purpose and strategic vision for the research operations and scientific requirements. The following five key steps are essential to a successful planning process. 

Early-stage assessments

A primary step for the leadership team is to develop an initial and detailed assessment of the research organization’s current and future team, along with the optimal location and size of their work environments. Experienced design teams will keep in mind the organization’s plans for operations and expansion, plus whether there’s potential for growth in a proposed location or if a move to a larger space would be more likely over the next five or years or so. A startup biotech firm, for instance, may find a good fit in a space that offers private laboratory and office areas, with shared common spaces, such as conference rooms, kitchen and dining areas, as well as restrooms and showers.

Important as well are existing condition assessments of prospective buildings for the research workplaces to determine their structural suitability for the laboratory types in question and for the costs involved in potential upgrades. These include the condition and suitability of the building’s infrastructure and mechanical and electrical systems, issues of energy consumption and efficiency, as well as the availability of appropriate access points for people and equipment.

Master planning

Master planning provides a roadmap of guiding principles and processes that align with the strategic vision of a new research environment. Crucial to the plan’s success is initial research and analysis, as well as benchmarking of potential impacts the workplace may have on the internal team and their performance. This evaluative survey can include considerations for the company’s or institution’s culture and external factors, such as regional science and technology activity, the location’s economic vitality, and the perceived social climate of the area.

Programming

With the master planning in place, effective early-stage programming for the research facility and workplace should consider the total square footage for the laboratories and adjacent uses. These can be established by reviewing potential workflows and functional needs, including planned process management improvements. This helps to establish uses and adjacencies for given spaces, zones where specific equipment types may be located, total bench capacity, specimen preparation areas, and loading and waste management needs, among other specialized requirements.

Programming also helps identify the area required and adjacencies for the research facilities’ offices, meeting spaces, and amenities, along with each room’s configurations for staff, equipment, and furnishings. From there, the design team can create multiple test-fit diagrams, which are used to visually compare potential options for the laboratories and the entire workplace’s final layout.   

Safety

A primary driver of research and laboratory environment planning is life safety, which draws together multiple lab design disciplines to plan key systems including proper ventilation, fire protection, and chemical and other hazardous storage. Creating a detailed list of materials of concern and their classifications, as well as best management practices, will help determine the ideal locations and facility types. For instance, today’s building safety codes favor locating hazardous materials and heavy equipment on lower levels for the ease and speed of removing dangerous materials in emergency situations. Also significant are the environmental requirements and related costs involved for each space, such as cleanrooms, to ensure the right fit. 

Branding

Often overlooked in early-phase planning, effective branding distinguishes research organizations in terms of their internal and public-facing identity and culture, which can give companies and institutions a competitive edge. Through the use of color, graphics, signage, and materials, a science and research entity communicates its purpose and culture visually, benefitting staff, clients, funders and the public. For example, the workplace design for one robotics research firm features an abstract mural depicting schools of fish that celebrates and puts on display the company’s specialized work. In another example, the workplace for a mental health and addiction services provider integrates original art symbolizing the care-provider’s core principles of home and community. The abstract design depicts human figures holding hands in front of a cityscape, and appears in laser-cut aluminum panels on the building’s exterior and throughout the interior space.  

Whether a new, renovated, refreshed, or retrofit laboratory, early planning with a leadership team is vital to set realistic goals, timeframes and budgets. This front-end approach also streamlines a lab project’s design phase and sets the stage for cost and schedule controls in the construction and operations phases. As seen in many projects for both institutional and commercial clients, proactive planning works to moderate the required investment and results in an enduring, welcoming laboratory that sets the stage for breakthrough research.

Wan Leung, AIA, co-author of this piece, is a principal and architect with FCA with an expertise in science and technology, healthcare, and higher education sectors.