Diagram, engineering drawing.

What is a value-driven solution to maximizing our needs for flexible life science lab design?

Research Project Name

Adaptability in Life Science Design

What We Did

We researched the space typologies typical of life science labs and arrived at a set of archetypes differentiated by functionality, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Our research tested three life science lab design types: traditional/fixed, flexible, and adaptable. In order to scrutinize variances in design, we created a survey. Each participant was a stakeholder with unique design priorities, and these differences contributed to a broad-based understanding of the concerns facing scientific organizations.

Our goal was to establish both financial and experiential value in lab design — a balance between efficient work and healthy margins. We believe there is an intersection where efficient work overlaps with prohibitive costs, a point where more flexibility yields diminishing returns. We created a user-generated list of priorities that encapsulate the drivers of experiential value — and in doing so, we discerned what is necessary, and what is not necessary, in building ideal life science labs.

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Team

Adam Harper, Erik Lustgarten, Ken Fisher (Principal Sponsor), Cerise Marcela, Alfred Byun; Graphic Design: Laia Pose Gratacos

Year Completed

2017