Deadline Extended: Share Your Lab Design Lessons at the 2026 Lab Design Conference
We heard you! By popular request, the deadline to submit a proposal for the 2026 Lab Design Conference has been extended to August 15, 2025—giving you more time to fine-tune your idea and invite end users to join you as co-presenters.
Whether you’re pulling together a case study, coordinating a panel discussion with colleagues, or adding those final touches to your proposal, now’s your chance to make it the strongest it can be.
This extra time is also an opportunity to think creatively about your session format and content. Could you bring in a lab manager to share the day-to-day impact of your design decisions? Add a bench scientist’s perspective to highlight what truly works in the space? Or structure your talk to include interactive elements that spark conversation? By weaving in multiple viewpoints and real-world examples, you’ll give the audience more actionable insights—and make your presentation stand out.
The 2026 Lab Design Conference takes place May 11–14 in Orlando, Florida and brings together architects, lab planners, engineers, facility managers, lab product vendors, and lab end users to exchange proven strategies for designing, renovating, and operating laboratories. We’re especially seeking lab managers, researchers, facility owners, and end users to share what it really takes to get a project over the finish line. Your story could help peers avoid common pitfalls, plan smarter, and create spaces that truly support science.
What we’re looking for
The Lab Design Conference welcomes real-world, experience-based presentations that are non-commercial, practical, and engaging. Topics of high interest include:
Renovation vs. new construction: Weighing costs, minimizing disruption, and navigating adaptive reuse.
Designing for flexibility and longevity: Planning for future needs under financial pressure.
Sustainability strategies: Making the business case for greener choices.
User-led success: Gathering feedback, building consensus, and managing move-ins.
Lessons from the field: What went wrong, what saved the day, and what you’d do differently.
People-first labs: Designing for ergonomics, accessibility, and collaboration.
Handling the unexpected: Staying resilient through scope changes, delays, and budget challenges.
We’re not just looking for polished success stories—behind-the-scenes accounts resonate most. Our audience values candid, experience-based insights that demystify the lab planning and design process, from early planning through move-in. We welcome solo talks, panels, case studies, and interactive formats. AIA-approved HSW content is especially encouraged.
Don’t miss your chance to shape the conversation. Submit your proposal by August 15, 2025—and join us in Orlando to inspire and be inspired!
