Baylor College of Medicine Center for Drug Discovery. Credit: © Slyworks Photography
by Verrick Walker, Ph.D., Science & Technology Director, Principal, Page Southerland Page
If houses are designed for people, then laboratories are designed for equipment. While this statement is perhaps an oversimplification, it serves to highlight the impact of building components and systems, in addition to the building occupants, on the design of laboratory facilities. It also implies that laboratory environments must be able to adapt as analytical techniques and technologies evolve.
Four principles guide the design of any premier laboratory building: safety, efficiency, function, and cost. The typically hazardous nature of the work being performed in these facilities greatly drives the design, alongside other typically focal aspects such as operational performance and adaptability. Increased awareness and concern about the substantial number of resources consumed by laboratories have fueled the demand for more cost-effective and environmentally responsive facilities. Each aspect must be balanced in such a way as to maximize the usable space that can be achieved, in order to make laboratories viable long-term settings for exploration, experimentation, and innovation.
According to a CBRE report, as research becomes more interdisciplinary, demand for modifiable and collaborative laboratory environments has increased. Easily reconfigurable space provides an ideal setting for fostering creativity and facilitating discoveries. To achieve this, architects and engineers must consider the different types of laboratory design and the vast range of research that will be taking place within a facility. Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), a leading health science university in Houston, Texas, is a prime example of institutions deploying these flexible designs to keep up with the demand for innovation.
Baylor College of Medicine occupies more than one million square feet of space in the Texas Medical Center, the largest in the world. As the top recipient of National Institutes of Health funding in the Southwest, BCM is regularly challenged with providing laboratory space for junior and senior principal investigators representing various research interests—from basic to translational to clinical to product development. Three projects at the institution illustrate how flexibility plays a role in different types of laboratory design.
The Center for Drug Discovery occupies leased space in Texas Children's Hospital’s Neurological Research Institute Building. Design decisions aim to maximize the work while minimizing modifications and enhancements to the core structure to reduce costs associated with returning the building to its original configuration at the end of the lease term.
The Center features three primary laboratory zones that consolidate related scientific activities such as medicinal chemistry, central equipment and preparation, and medicinal biology. These zones are equipped with mobile laboratory furniture and overhead service distribution systems, allowing for adaptable configurations. The design considers the specific space, equipment, and utility requirements, including heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, power, and gas, as well as the chemical intensity/density profile necessary for drug discovery research. The layout maximizes safety, functionality, and energy efficiency by strategically allocating HVAC and power diversity.
To address limitations on hazardous material storage, a ground-floor chemical storage space was incorporated using a just-in-time management system to enhance personnel safety, minimize exposure to hazards, and reduce costly infrastructure needs. Considering specific space, equipment, and utility requirements while minimizing the impact on the core structure of the laboratory highlights the overall value of creating a research environment that prioritizes safety, functionality, and cost-effectiveness.
Convertibility—to support undergraduate instruction, graduate research, and physician training—was a primary driver for BCM’s Gross Anatomy Laboratory design, which also houses the Microsurgical and Endoscopic Center for Clinical Applications Laboratory. The facility has eight classrooms and laboratories and one storage room that converts to a partial laboratory. Some programs are offered simultaneously during the year, so the ability to reconfigure and operate spaces efficiently and in different modes is crucial.
The room designs accommodate various activities and scales, including small and large group anatomy instruction, testing, and specialized neurosurgical training. The design considers equipment configuration, utilities (such as gases, power, exhaust, and data), lighting, sightlines, acoustics, and spacing. A horizontal and vertical planning grid defines key activity nodes, guiding the placement of overhead service/utility clusters, walls, and other features. The laboratory employs fixed bench systems and movable workstations to cater to everyday activities and customized anatomy and surgical training needs. Flexible movable partitions allow for the combination of adjacent rooms, optimizing space. Based on an assessment of static and dynamic storage needs, equipment and other items are distributed across the labs and storage room on a rotating basis, as needed, to minimize wasted space and maximize efficiency through flexibility.
For the Vestibular Research Laboratory, specialty systems and chemical management were key considerations. The laboratory includes animal housing, cage wash, veterinary storage, procedure space, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielded testing and control rooms, wet and dry laboratory bench areas, electronics workshops, and computational equipment areas. Experimental simulation rooms house three-dimensional motion platforms for research. The laboratory employs a box-in-box approach, using specially outfitted testing rooms within the larger space to accommodate moving EMI-sensitive equipment in and out. Waveguides bring utilities into the room without compromising the integrity of the sensitive equipment, enabling versatile adaptation of experimental configurations. The unique nature of the experiments requires specific accommodations to meet particular needs, and by adapting to changing requirements, the facility enhances functionality and efficiency to support a wide range of scientific research.
Whether in drug discovery, anatomy instruction, or specialized research like vestibular studies, adapting laboratory spaces to evolving needs is paramount. Therefore, it is essential to understand how thoughtful planning, efficient use of resources, and incorporating changeable features can optimize safety, functionality, and cost-effectiveness. Ultimately, research activity and funding must be sustained—and this is directly related to the availability of quality space to support the range of research needs. As research and technology continue to advance, laboratories that lead with adaptability in mind will influence future research and development trajectories.