Lab space and infrastructure have a significant impact on an organization’s scientific outcomes. Lab managers play a vital role in ensuring that the lab’s needs are met through any design project and the following move. To learn more about how lab managers can improve communication, define needs, and understand important choices involved in lab design, we talked with Sam Cronin (SC) and David Fleming (DF), the founding partners of Innovation Commercial.
Q: How does the lab’s space directly impact its ability to hit critical milestones?
SC: If your facility can’t scale, your science can’t scale. We often see early-stage companies completely focused on their bench work, only to hit a wall when they need to add a new piece of high-throughput equipment or double their team size. If your lease lacks flexibility—like expansion rights or a Right of First Refusal—you may be forced to relocate your entire operation right in the middle of a critical data-gathering phase or a Phase II trial. The physical space must align seamlessly with your scientific roadmap.
DF: To add to that, space constraints directly impact daily workflow efficiency. If a lab manager has to schedule shifts around shared equipment because there isn’t enough bench space or power capacity, you are automatically slowing down your data generation. A well-optimized space doesn't just house the science; it accelerates it by eliminating operational bottlenecks before they occur.
Q: How can lab managers aid facility planning, especially when executives, scientists, finance teams, and real estate partners are all involved?
DF: Lab managers are the ultimate bridge between the visionaries and the execution teams. Executives look at macro strategy, finance looks at the bottom line, and scientists care about the bench. The lab manager’s role is to act as the "translator." You can aid the process immensely by synthesizing the technical, daily needs of the scientists into data that finance and real estate partners can actually use—such as exact utility loads, equipment footprints, and workflow adjacencies.
SC: Exactly. When a lab manager brings a clear, prioritized list of "must-haves" versus "nice-to-haves" to the table early, it prevents costly design changes later. We recommend establishing a facility steering committee where the lab manager represents the operational reality. This ensures that the real estate partner isn't leasing a space that looks great on paper but fails to meet the technical demands of the science.
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Q: How much does the quality and location of the laboratory facility influence a scientist’s decision to join or stay?
SC: In competitive life science hubs, the facility is a major recruitment and retention tool. Top-tier scientists want to work in environments that reflect the quality of their research. A lab with ample natural light, ergonomic workstations, and high-quality "collision spaces"—areas where colleagues can naturally interact and collaborate—signals that a company values its people. If your lab feels dark, cramped, or isolated, it actively hinders your hiring efforts.
DF Location amplifies this. Simple factors like a manageable commute, proximity to dining options, and collaborative neighborhood amenities matter just as much to a PhD candidate as the specification of the fume hoods.
Q: How should lab managers evaluate their square footage to ensure they aren't overpaying for underutilized "dry" space?
DF: We highly recommend conducting a formal "utilization audit." A lot of computational work, documentation, and write-ups are done remotely or in shared hybrid zones. Many lab leaders inherit traditional 50/50 lab-to-office layouts and end up paying premium life-science rent for empty desks.
SC: Right. Depending on the project, we are often advising clients to skew heavier toward the lab side—closer to a 60/40—and utilize flexible, hoteling-style office space for the "dry" areas. By shrinking the dedicated office footprint and maximizing the high-performance lab footprint, you ensure that every dollar of your real estate budget is directly supporting the active research.
Q: What are the "invisible" infrastructure costs that frequently catch managers off guard?
SC: Standby and emergency backup power is almost always the biggest surprise. A lab leader might assume that a building's landlord-provided generator covers everything. In reality, that generator might only cover life-safety systems like emergency lighting and exit signs. If it is a seasoned life science landlord, then they often provide backup power, but depending on a lab’s needs, it might need additional power beyond what the landlord provides. Tying your specialized ultra-low temperature freezers, incubators, and critical data servers into an emergency circuit frequently requires a dedicated tenant-side UPS or an auxiliary generator, which comes with significant capital expense.
DF: Another hidden cost is mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) zoning. If you need to introduce specialized gases or a single-pass HVAC system for hazardous materials into a standard building shell, the cost of custom ductwork, core drilling, and structural reinforcement for rooftop equipment can quickly dwarf the cost of the actual lab equipment inside the room.
Q: What is the number one oversight lab managers make when planning a facility move?
DF: Forgetting to account for science downtime—specifically the validation, calibration, and commissioning of equipment. Moving the physical box is the easy part. The real challenge is the IQ/OQ/PQ (Installation, Operational, and Performance Qualification) process required once the equipment lands in the new space. If you don't build a two-to-four week buffer into your timeline for regulatory re-certification, your scientific team will be sitting idle in a beautiful, finished building while milestones slip away.
SC: To build on David’s point, chain-of-custody for sensitive materials is another major oversight. Moving active biological samples, cell lines, or chemical inventories requires specialized, climate-controlled logistics providers.
Q: For lab leaders planning a move or expansion in the next 12–24 months, what should they start documenting now?
SC: Start building your comprehensive equipment schedule today. This shouldn’t just be a list of asset names. It needs to log every single piece of equipment alongside its exact dimensions, weight, heat output, plug type, voltage requirements, and specific gas or plumbing connections. Having this data completely transparent and updated allows your real estate and engineering teams to accurately vet prospective buildings instantly.
DF: You should also start tracking your true consumption metrics, not just your capacities. Document how often certain hoods are used, how much hazardous waste you actually generate monthly, and what your peak power draws look like. Historical data prevents you from over-specifying (and over-paying for) infrastructure you don’t actually need in your next facility.
Q: How can lab leaders reduce disruption to lab workflows during a move, expansion, or buildout?
DF: The most successful strategies rely on a phased relocation plan. Instead of trying to move the entire operation over a single weekend, we work with lab managers to replicate critical workflows in parallel. By moving non-dependent workflows or duplicate equipment first, you ensure that the core research engine never drops to zero percent capacity.
SC: Communication and clear ownership are the ultimate disruption reducers. Appoint a single point of contact within the lab whose sole job is to liaise with the construction and move management teams. When the lines of communication are clean, scheduling loud construction work or utility shutdowns around crucial experimental windows becomes simple. It keeps the project moving forward without compromising the integrity of the science.
