In actuality, electricity accounts for just 20% of our energy usage, and we can use these new nuclear technologies to produce not only electricity, but also emissions-free heat, which offers a variety of benefits and uses, from hydrogen production and the desalination of water, to the supply of heat to homes and businesses..

In our experience, open plan offices with 7.2m grids and above are best suited to flexible lab conversions as these enable a wide range of bench configurations, larger equipment, subdivision into smaller rooms, as well as compliant installation of future MBSCs (microbiological safety cabinets) and fume cabinets.Some extra space for unexpected changes or new technology introductions will almost certainly be beneficial in the long-run, and consideration should also be given to areas outside the main lab, such as the impact of automation or remote working on write-up and meeting areas.

Rather than cater to all eventualities, a cost-benefit analysis will often drive an ’80:20’ approach towards future flexibility..While office to lab conversions may seem to make good economic sense, compromises around productivity and flexibility can impact the life science business, tenant, or developer in ways that aren’t immediately obvious.Many of these issues can be mitigated simply through good design, and, in our experience, layouts need to be detailed earlier than a new-build project.

Capacity modelling may also be necessary to better forecast the amount of equipment, benching, storage, desks, lockers, etc.over the long-run.. Capacity model for a biopharma QC lab showing utilisation of individual equipment items over time.. 2.

Height.. Limited headroom in existing offices may be insufficient for taller lab equipment or increased services distribution.. An ideal starting-point for a lab is a floor-to-floor height between 4.2 and 4.5m, with an office typically being in the 3.6 to 4.2m range.. Taller items such as fume cabinets and MBSCs can normally be accommodated under a 2.7m high ceiling (similar to what you might find in a modern office), however some specialist or larger-scale equipment will require additional headroom or maintenance and withdrawal space, and localised raised ceilings may be necessary, or the equipment simply might not fit.. Labs require many more services than an office, which normally means a deeper ceiling void.

Limited risers in offices can also result in more service crossovers and congestion, increasing this depth further still.A lack of existing lab space in some locations already today.

In Cambridge and Oxford for example (two of the UK’s main life science hubs), demand for labs now outstrips available supply by nearly a hundred to one.Existing labs are increasingly not fit for purpose, incompatible with new science, technology, or regulations, or are simply in poor condition.. Supply-chain issues that are also impacting the wider construction industry, such as a shortage of materials or skilled labour, and which are increasingly competing against other major global challenges such as climate change or the housing crisis..

Lab projects that are relatively complex, with key issues including compliance (quality, safety, environment, permitting), difficulty in predicting the future (science, technology, sales forecasts), multiple stakeholders, and projects that require significant coordination during design and construction.. To solve this mounting challenge we need a solution that can deploy labs at speed..Rapid Deployment with Fast Lab.