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  • Fundamentals of Laboratory Design: Key Elements for Safe and Functional Labs

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min read

Patrick Isitt
Content Manager
Content specialist in office design and build.

  • Having the right workspace is vital to life sciences and healthcare companies. Within that, laboratory design is central to creating an efficient, collaborative and safe environment. 

    In this article, we’ll dig deeper into the world of lab design, including trends, different types, the challenges and how to overcome them.

    Trends in laboratory design and build

    Market trends

    According to Savills, demand for laboratory and science-related office space sits at 700,000 square feet in London alone. Figures are similar for Cambridge, with supply outpacing demand across the Golden Triangle – London, Cambridge and Oxford.

    Compared to Cambridge and Oxford, however, London’s science and innovation market is relatively young. As a result, development is faster. In 2023, facilities were purchased in both Kings Cross and Canary Wharf with a view to creating over a million square feet of life science and laboratory-enabled space. In fact, a whopping £1.1 billion was invested in science-related facilities from 2021-2023 in London alone.

  • Technology

    Those new-build spaces will be markedly different to some of the more long-standing facilities. For one, technology is also transforming the way labs are used. In recent years, the Internet of Things has been the main disruptive technology. Next-generation labs feature interconnected devices and instruments, so data can be transmitted and monitored in real time for faster time-to-insights. However, 69% of lab leaders now worry that they’ll lose their competitive advantage without further automation and connection.

    Additionally, laboratories are no exception to the hybrid working revolution. While many workers need to be at the laboratory to do their jobs, the industry has adapted in terms of how different companies and institutions collaborate. With people working on the same project, potentially across the globe, technology can help organisations save time when holding meetings. This is highlighted by Yale’s Co-Director of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, who explains how his team uses Zoom for collaboration. As such, modern laboratory spaces need to be equipped for virtual meetings where every person feels equally present and heard.

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  • Sustainability

    Sustainability is another key area. In a survey of life sciences leaders, 56% of respondents said they have sustainability goals with implementation guidelines. This includes conserving water, reducing energy use and the design of green buildings more broadly.

    With temperature-controlled storage, powerful machinery and greater demands for lighting and HVAC, energy consumption can be particularly high for laboratories. As such, more work is often needed in the initial design phase to negate carbon impact.

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  • Open plan spaces

    Finally, there’s the conundrum of the open plan laboratory. Broadly speaking, open plan workspaces are growing in popularity for businesses that want to create a collaborative environment. This is particularly important for research laboratories, where multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches are becoming more common.

    However, open plan spaces aren’t without their challenges. Chemical safety is a case in point, with smaller spaces better at containing hazardous agents. In an open plan laboratory, a single chemical spill could require an entire laboratory space to be shut down.

  • Different laboratory types

    To anyone involved in the industry, it may seem misleading to talk about laboratory design given that there is such a wide range of laboratory types out there. Some of the key categories include:

    • Hospital laboratories run tests on clinical specimens to gain insights into patient health.
    • Diagnostic laboratories run more specialised tests to better understand diseases and diagnoses.
    • Clinical laboratories perform more widespread tests to address the needs of public health.
    • University and research laboratories undertake scientific or humanities research.
    • Manufacturing laboratories test materials and products for quality and compliance.
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  • These are just some of the broad types of laboratory, with the likes of immunology, cytology and haematology not even touched upon. What it shows, however, is the importance of a bespoke approach to lab design. Laboratories can’t be one-size-fits-all as there are so many specific requirements which call for a unique brief and tailored design process.

    Dry labs vs wet labs

    One of the clearest distinctions between laboratories is that between dry labs and wet labs.

    In short, wet labs deal with biological matter, chemicals and liquids, while dry labs conduct engineering, physics and computation. The two are intrinsically linked as science often starts in a dry lab before being tested and confirmed in a wet lab. These results can then aid the next stage of research in the dry lab.

    From a design perspective, wet labs do have more challenging requirements. Controlled environments, storage, electrical demand and plumbing capabilities are all considerations. However, companies are no longer seeing these two as separate entities – with dry labs and wet labs often coming together to enhance collaboration.

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  • Challenges with lab design

    Safety

    Safety is paramount in laboratory design. It affects practically every design consideration, from storage and HVAC to the furniture, layout and how it affects people’s movement around the space.

    Storage

    Additionally, there’s storage. From chemicals and samples to equipment and other materials, everything needs to be stored, organised and protected in the best way possible. This includes the right temperature in some cases, requiring specialist storage units or rooms. As such, storage is one of the most space-consuming elements of lab design.

    Movement

    Efficient movement is critical to a productive laboratory. It’s important that people can move around the laboratory to collaborate when required, but also vital that common areas like fume hoods and sinks are always accessible.

  • Space

    With so much essential equipment, space can be a big challenge for many laboratories. In short, how do you fit everything in without restricting movement or compromising safety, as above?

    Air control

    Heating, ventilation and air conditioning are important in laboratories for several reasons:

    • Machinery and instruments need certain temperatures for optimal performance.
    • Employees need good ventilation to minimise contact with toxins.
    • It’s important to maintain a comfortable working temperature for everyone’s safety, which can be challenging with so much machinery.
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  • Components of effective lab design

    We’ve covered the challenges, but how do you overcome them? Here are some key components to designing a laboratory that works for you.

    Defining needs

    The first step in any lab design process should be defining the needs of the people using it. What research and specific activities will take place in the laboratory space? How will different teams need to interact and move around? Which facilities and machinery are required?

    This will inform the layout, equipment and safety features required. It’s important to get key stakeholders involved in this step and ensure everyone’s voice is heard. Consensus is vital to ensure nobody’s role or department is lost in the process or impaired by the final design.

    Safety

    There are numerous safety considerations when designing a laboratory. This includes the conditions for workers, the safe storage of samples and chemicals, and adherence with all applicable safety standards and regulations. Some key factors include hygiene stations, fire exit routes and dedicated waste disposal areas.

  • Collaboration

    Fostering collaboration and communication is key for modern laboratories. This may involve an open plan design, which needs to be balanced with safety concerns like containing chemicals. Designated meeting spaces are another useful feature, with many labs opting for adaptable breakout spaces to minimise the use of space. GAMA Healthcare’s office exemplifies this, with a striking bleacher seating area doubling up as a staircase between two floors.

    Importance of airflow & HVAC

    Airflow is particularly complex in lab design, compared to other workspaces, because each part of the laboratory may have its own requirements. Areas with fume cupboards will need more ventilation, for example. You may also want natural ventilation to give staff fresh air, though again this will be limited to certain parts of the laboratory. This all needs to be balanced with the right temperature – both for equipment and people – which can be achieved with a multi-zone HVAC system.

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  • Lighting

    It goes without saying that laboratories need to be well lit due to the nature of work taking place. However, it’s not simply a case of choosing the brightest lights available:

    • Consider layered lighting to meet the required levels without having standalone light fixtures that are excessively bright.
    • Use different lighting in breakout or collaboration areas where bright lights aren’t required.
    • Carefully choose flooring, ceiling and wall cladding materials to avoid excessive glare and minimise eye fatigue for employees.
    • Maximise natural light, like the Theramex office, to reduce the need for artificial lighting and improve employee wellbeing.

  • Sustainable design

    Did you know that laboratories use five times more energy than the average home? It’s not hard to see why, when you consider the amount of machinery, the HVAC demands, lighting requirements and the need for around-the-clock temperature-controlled storage.

    With sustainability important for a growing number of life sciences and healthcare companies, it’s imperative that the design process includes measures to reduce your lab’s carbon footprint.

    Meeting the demand

    Laboratory space is in demand, particularly in The Golden Triangle of London, Cambridge and Oxford. But it’s not just about finding any space. Life sciences and healthcare companies need somewhere that’s tech-enabled, collaborative and sustainable.

    With so many types of laboratories – and challenges ranging from safety and storage to movement, space limitations and air control – it’s vital that labs are designed with a bespoke approach.

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