Expert Insights for Designing for Science Tenants

Designing for science comes with a unique set of opportunities, challenges, bespoke fixtures, clientele, and more. Jason McCarthy, AIA, managing principal, and Erik Sueberkrop, FAIA, founding principal at STUDIOS Architecture, illustrated this to Lab Design, outlining the particulars for designing to attract science tenants, sustainability considerations, and future unknown technical variables.

CARE/Crawley Center Atrium

Image Credit: Thomas Drew

Q: What is a particular design feature that's especially useful to attract a science tenant?

A:

JM: We find that science tenants are drawn to very efficient, well-thought-out spaces that also include elements of beauty, access to nature/views, incredible art, or simply elegant use of materials.  People want places where they can really connect and interact to get the most out of their moments away from the bench. As a result, we've found that "support" spaces need to do more than just support; these areas need to function just as well as dedicated lab or research settings. 

ES: When designing CARE/Crawley Center, a major life sciences project for the University of Cincinnati, STUDIOS created a central atrium space that stitched together three very different programs: health sciences, clinical science, and computational laboratories. This atrium has become an attractive commons for the greater medical sciences college, highlighting the power of design in setting the stage for a campus community.

Q: What are some common energy-saving strategies that can be incorporated into lab design? 

A:

JM: While labs are inherently energy-consuming, our goal is to really understand the processes and workflows that our clients need to support their work. From there, we adapt the architecture to be nimble in its ability to change as those needs evolve over time. For biotech clients in particular, flexibility in sizing mechanical supply and exhaust systems is key to managing energy-saving strategies. We design for the systems and the architecture to be nimble in their ability to change for the particular tenant’s needs. Common principles of high-performance sustainable design have real impacts on lab buildings, too. Carefully considered building orientation, reduced heat gain by using sun shading, capitalizing on daylight to reduce lighting demands, and highly efficient building envelope and insulation are all key measures to consider when developing new lab space. 

Q: What are the biggest challenges you've encountered when designing for a biomedical or science tenant?

A:

ES: We are increasingly encountering lab conversion projects where the tenant may not be identified in time to inform the original fit-out. In this industry, the requirements of a particular tenant can vary widely, so this can introduce a number of challenges and complexities in planning for the unknown.  Our key to success is really understanding the most common support systems that are likely to be needed and then allowing adequate areas for customization.

In one case, the tenant who came into the lab conversion project needed to incorporate a small vivarium. While this did entail substantial building modifications, our planned flex lab zones allowed for this program to be added without the expense of relocating major lab support spaces or the infrastructure behind them.

Q: How does the lab's design account for future, unknown technology? 

A:

ES: The base building design must be “generous enough to be efficient.” This means there should be a minimum floor-to-floor height of 14’-0” –– ideally more! Generous column spacing should allow for at least 10’-6” or 11-0” bench spacing and other standard support for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, vibration, etc. to allow for flexibility into the future.

Q: What are the biggest changes to science & tech design that you've seen in the last five years? 

A:

JM: Since COVID, the biggest challenge to any innovation culture is the trend to move toward a more hybrid workplace. Even within the life sciences industry, where people are generally expected to come to the lab, we are still seeing that technology increasingly enables remote work. We believe that shift will only heighten the importance of and need for community and interaction. If the best breakthroughs come through our shared inspiration and endeavors, we need to continue emphasizing the spaces that encourage colleagues and peers to come together and experience the discoveries that come through dialogue and interaction.  

Q: What are your predictions for future trends in lab design, in this industry?

A:

JM: People are increasingly looking for human-friendly, experience-driven spaces, and I think that will continue to influence lab design. Looking beyond the technical performance piece, I think we'll see more notes of hospitality and comfort being added to a core of safety and efficiency. At the same time, increasing integration of technology will allow more of the research to be conducted and monitored remotely. For those on-site, this will translate to more transparency, more daylight and views, and more variety of spaces to support and enhance our interactions with others. We feel that architecture and lab design informed by a sense of our humanity will lead to better science and better business.

Q: Anything else you'd like to add? 

A:

JM: We design spaces that bring people to a heightened level of awareness, community, and connection. Design, like science, can sometimes surprise people and yield a “That’s Funny!” response. We take that as a compliment.

CARE/Crawley Center

Image Credit: Thomas Drew