What to Expect, Trends, and Energy Considerations
| December 10 2012
Laboratory designs are big projects that normally arise from necessity. Of new construction, expansions, and retrofits, greenfield projects cost the most and take the most time, while the latter two consume fewer resources but present varying degrees of disruption. A lab or facility manager’s involvement in laboratory design and build depends on his or her experience with design, architecture, and building trades. Typically, the relationship between “builders” and “owners” is consultative, but as we will see, more hands-on approaches are possible. This topic could fill an encyclopedia and still not exhaust even straightforward considerations such as budgets, equipment, construction codes, regulations, and the myriad designations and certifications. Here we will focus on what to expect, trends, and energy considerations. Since design/build is a project or process, we include three case studies, as well as a Q&A with managers who have recently gone through design projects.
