The nature of research is rapidly evolving as scientific discovery becomes increasingly interdisciplinary—whether in a corporate, academic, or healthcare setting.
Science + Technology thought leaders Mark Allen and Trevor Wells recognize how lab and workplace design supports every facet of research success. In the following, they discuss the convergence of design, research, and technology—and the excitement they experience participating in new discoveries.
What are you hearing from your clients about their research needs?
Most of our clients have the same worries everyone else has with the new hybrid workspace, right-sizing spaces, adapting to future growth, and maintaining collaboration between the office support and laboratory researchers.
The expectation is that most research is still being done on site, even during the height of the pandemic. There’s not really a safe way to do chemistry in your garage. Laboratories, in general, are not tightly packed in. Researchers don’t work elbow-to-elbow; instead, they are usually about six to eight feet apart in well-ventilated spaces. Ultimately, the pandemic did not change how scientists conduct research in the lab.
If researchers have remained on site, where does the hybrid workplace come in?
The change is in the supporting office spaces—the hybrid office. The office team includes administrative staff, computational researchers, and other ancillary groups responsible for clinical trials, regulatory compliance, and quality control not directly tied to the laboratory. Much of this heads-down and computational work can be done remotely and historically has been done remotely. So, the hybrid office is a matter of getting the right square-footage allocation, rethinking the standard 50/50 lab-to-office ratio commonly used in space planning.
You can then add more lab space without adding real estate?
Yes, because cost is a big factor impacting lab development. Labs are more expensive to build than workspaces, usually by a multiple of three with mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and life-safety systems and other research-specific technology.
Research organizations want to get the most horsepower out of their real-estate investment by ratcheting up the percentage of lab space to office space. Increasing lab area becomes easier if there’s a hybrid work environment where people don’t need to be on site every day. Clients don’t necessarily have to expand square footage, instead just move the labs into the office workstation area or shell space.
Describe your planning process.
The first step is listening to understand our clients’ business strategies and goals. We do a deep dive into where they are now and where they need to be in three to five years to develop facilities that enable their research. Yet we keep in mind that their priorities may change over time.
How do you anticipate changes?
We put their work processes through a lean analysis to identify the smartest use of space, improve efficiencies, and look toward potential growth. The client has a good idea of where their research is going, but sometimes there are surprises in the market. We can create pathways so that new development will not be as disruptive as starting from scratch. The goal is to design flexible labs and workspaces that satisfy current needs and adjust them as their research evolves. The lean analysis gives clients options.
What design tools do you use?
HGA has developed a powerful set of tools using data metrics across different lab and building types. We share these benchmarks with clients to show them where they sit relative to peers in the industry. And in many cases, they bring their own internal benchmarks, which we use to reinforce our data. These benchmarks are helpful in tracking space needs.
Does design impact research success?
We like to think it does. The objective is to improve research outcomes. We see the lab in terms of workplace design. Laboratories traditionally have been environmentally separated from other spaces because of programming, technical requirements, and safety codes. Lab staff, researchers, and scientists spend a lot of their day in those spaces. We look for opportunities to provide connectivity through visual cues, daylighting, and common spaces. We want to make the lab and support spaces as appealing as possible. Good design is essential to productivity and wellbeing.
What have you learned through your work?
One of the exciting things about science and technology is learning about our clients’ research innovations and being part of the conversation. Research drives headlines, community growth, economic output, and public health.
It must be exciting working with people at the top of their game.
It’s always inspiring being around such smart people in the same room. Scientists and researchers are very insightful people to work with and talk with. We gain a lot of knowledge and contribute a lot of knowledge being able to develop a project around their needs. We learn something every time we have a new client. It’s a great experience.