The landscape of specialty labs is one of constant evolution. Whether it's a BSL-2 or a QC lab, the central question is often asked: "How do we make this lab as flexible as possible?" This question, however, doesn't have a simple answer.
Unlocking flexibility in your lab design from the outset is key to long-term and strategic scalability. Effective scalability is a complex process that is closely linked with the unique business drivers of each facility. Here are some considerations to keep in mind when it comes to scaling up your lab operations over time.
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Anticipating the unpredictable: Core challenges in lab scalability
Change comes in many forms—business growth, technological advancements, and evolving regulatory requirements. The aim is to ensure current labs are productive and safe, while also being adaptable for future necessities like adding an air-lock or a new process waste handling system.
It’s important to evaluate these possible needs on an ongoing basis. This doesn't mean it’s necessary to predict the future perfectly, but rather to learn from past experiences and consider how similar events and needs might affect future lab operations.
Designing for adaptability: The cornerstone of scalable labs
Flexibility is the most important design consideration for future expansion. This involves careful consideration of how to accommodate various changes that may become necessary later. Project owners should ask questions like:
- "If I need to add a fume hood later, where will it go?”
- “What does that mean to my ongoing operations?”
- “If an autoclave is needed, how can that be accommodated most easily?"
Anticipating future equipment needs is crucial. Foreseeing technological advancements, which might be four to five years from implementation, is more difficult. The key is to balance immediate functionality with long-term scalability. Short-term needs must be met, but always with an eye on how current solutions set the stage for future expansion. Being open to interim solutions that better facilitate long-term growth can help achieve this important balance.
Infrastructure and planning: Laying the groundwork
Strategic pre-planning of utilities like HVAC, electrical, and plumbing is important for smooth future scaling. An example of this is the sizing of the distribution lines and overall capacity. Upsizing the branch of a header before reducing the line size to the end-user after the branch valve can minimize future operational disruptions.
Similar foresight can be applied to duct sizing. Regarding capacity, the aim is to enable increased flows without significant changes to the existing equipment. This might be as straightforward as allocating space for an additional unit or a planned sheave change.
Collaborating with trusted suppliers who fully understand the needs of a lab is invaluable in finding the best solutions. Building Information Modeling (BIM) offers significant benefits in this area. BIM allows teams to visualize expansions, check for current and future interferences, and evaluate what the future operation may look like. This helps in planning expansions that reduce downtime and maintain operational adjacencies or efficiency.
The scale-up process: Minimizing disruption and ensuring continuity
When the time arrives to scale up, the first critical step is to consider how the scale-up is best accomplished. Asking, “Are we expanding into adjacent space or is there other space available?” is a great place to start.
The second step is to consider durations and transition periods, including any qualification timelines. A collaborative brainstorming session involving lab operations personnel, architects, engineers, and lead contractors is recommended to address these two steps and then develop a plan accordingly.
A general contractor plays a crucial role in managing the complexities of scaling. They coordinate multiple subcontractors and vendors. They can provide realistic durations or workaround plans when needed to manage those complexities and get you back in operation as quickly as possible. Having a trusted general contractor to look out for your business interests is essential.
Key considerations for phasing an expansion focus on operational access and construction access, and the temporary conditions needed to optimize both. Operational access means safe and secure access for personnel and materials with the necessary lab functions. Construction access means safe and secure access for the contractors needed to complete the expansion. To the extent the temporary conditions impact either, we need to find ways to minimize the duration of that impact.
Navigating challenges and integrating new systems
Even with the best proactive planning, issues like the untimely delivery of equipment or difficulties in the initial operation of that equipment can arise. Regular communication with suppliers—including factory visits if necessary to verify progress—can mitigate these risks. If vendor representative services are needed, make sure that the trip is coordinated, that all the prerequisites for start-up are completed ahead of time, and that the owner is ready to participate in the start-up process.
Owner involvement in the start-up process is important to the operation of the lab because sometimes units need to operate for a bit before they run entirely as expected. If the owner has gone through the start-up process, they are better able to troubleshoot on their own, which will minimize the downtime that can occur.
Finally, the integration of new equipment and technologies with existing lab systems depends on one key element: training. Comprehensive training is important for any new system integration. It may be wise to record training sessions so they can be viewed by personnel brought in after initial operation or as refresher for those who were there at the start. Online training is also helpful, but you can’t beat hands-on experience.
By embracing flexibility, undertaking careful pre-planning, and fostering strong partnerships, lab owners can confidently navigate the path of growth, ensuring their facilities remain effective, efficient, and ready for the future.
Key Questions for Your Next Lab Scalability Planning Session:
- How have past expansions or limitations informed our current approach to flexibility
- What are the top three potential changes (technological, procedural, capacity) we foresee in the next five to seven years?
- Is our current utility infrastructure (HVAC, electrical, plumbing) assessed for future upscaling, or just current needs?
- What specific steps will we take to minimize disruption to ongoing operations during the next scale-up?
