Articles:

This operational carbon is based on NABERS Design for Performance modelling and is monitored during the building’s first year of occupation.. At two thirds of the whole life carbon of a building, embodied carbon is critical to address in the early design stages and provides the greatest opportunity for overall carbon impact reduction..

There can be many changes throughout the lab design period, particularly with client equipment, and this can result in lots of changes to the services.. Coordinating the services at high level can be difficult, so every effort should be made to reduce beam depths or use castellated beams if this is not possible..The biggest and most recurring challenge, however, is usually due to new services needing penetrations or alternative routing due to changes to client laboratory equipment.

Labs need a higher air change rate than offices or other building types, which means lots of ductwork to and from the lab.This is exacerbated if there are fume cupboards, as the discharges go to the roof and discharge vertically.The discharge stacks for these fans can be quite high, so we may have to design roof supports for flues.. One unusual issue we encountered was a vibration requirement for an X-ray machine.

This is further evidence of the importance of understanding the purpose of the laboratory equipment being installed early in the lab design process..Finally, we must be aware of how the laboratory equipment is to be delivered to the site.

Some lab equipment can be extremely heavy, and the beam layout may dictate where the equipment can sit within the space.

We will also always consider how this lab equipment gets to the location in the first place, and any subsequent special requirements..• ​thermal, visual and acoustic comfort.

•​ hygiene standards.•​ biophilia and access to nature.

• ​a good work-life balance, and.• ​amenities and outdoor space for an active lifestyle..