Revit and the Future of Laboratory Design
Cody Ferguson, architectural laboratory designer, HERA Laboratory Planners
Laboratory environments are among the most complex facilities to design. They must balance strict safety requirements with flexibility, durability, and workflow efficiency, all while housing millions of dollars’ worth of sensitive equipment. Digital design tools like Autodesk Revit are changing the way architects and lab planners manage this complexity. By enabling real-time coordination, 3D visualization, and information-rich modeling, Revit is helping bridge the gap between architects and scientists—and ensuring that laboratories function as beautifully as they look.
For architectural laboratory designer Cody Ferguson of HERA Laboratory Planners, Revit has become a central part of his work. With a background in laboratory casework detailing and modeling, Ferguson brings both technical and practical knowledge to the table. His career began in casework manufacturing, where he detailed and modeled cabinets and lab furnishings for fabrication and installation. He started as a drafter, drawing floorplans and elevations of the labs, and says that it blossomed from there into a career. That foundation gave him a deep understanding of clearances, cabinetry, and construction, which he now applies to projects of every scale.
Read more about Cody’s background and interests in our Professional Profiles series!
Today, Ferguson is part of HERA’s Revit standards committee, helping to establish workflows, templates, and content that streamline design across the firm. His work is mostly behind the scenes, but the impact is far-reaching: more accurate models, fewer errors, and better communication with clients.
Coordination before construction
When asked how Revit has changed his approach to laboratory planning, Ferguson emphasizes its power to flag potential issues before they become costly problems.
“Revit has allowed us to create a system that tracks and locates all kinds of factors for coordination,” he explains. “We can tell you what equipment requires special consideration for vibration sensitivity, what requirements they might have for gas services, will there be any clearance issues, etc. The ability to do this sort of coordination has allowed us to be proactive in our design efforts. Instead of finding out during the construction phase that we did not provide necessary drainage for example, we now have this resource that flags that early on during the design phase.”
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That kind of foresight is invaluable in labs, where mistakes in infrastructure can lead to safety risks, expensive change orders, or long-term inefficiencies. By embedding data into the model—everything from plumbing to vibration tolerance—Revit helps ensure that laboratory environments are built right the first time.
Bridging the language gap
One of the persistent challenges in laboratory projects is communication. Architects and designers may think in terms of clearances, finishes, and building codes, while scientists think in terms of workflows, assays, and experiments. Revit can serve as a translator between those worlds.
“Revit’s capabilities also allow us to bridge the language gap between architect/designers and scientists/lab users,” Ferguson says. “We can produce different graphic reports to locate equipment for them so they can help us plan the best ergonomic workflow, it gives them a sense of ownership with the design. This is their space, so they feel more comfortable making decisions and opening a dialogue with us.”
For end users who may struggle to interpret 2D drawings, a 3D model or interactive walkthrough makes the design real. Ferguson often creates camera views or iso/axon images to help scientists visualize their labs. “Anything that gives you, the end user, the confidence to speak about the plan you are seeing. That feedback is vital to us,” he says.
Collaboration in real time
Laboratory design is highly iterative, with user-group meetings that can generate dozens of questions and requested modifications. The ability to show changes in real time can transform these sessions from abstract discussions into collaborative decision-making.
“It builds that trust when you are in user meetings, and they request a modification that you can do in real time that they can see reflected in 3D,” Ferguson notes. “I treat each meeting as if I’m going in with a language barrier. There are aspects of design that I will understand that they do not, just like there will be aspects of whatever science they are doing in the labs we are planning that I will not understand.”
This flexibility also allows for exploring multiple options—such as fixed benches versus mobile workstations—without committing to one until the users can see how each scenario supports their workflow.
Advice for end users
For lab managers and scientists engaging in the design process, Ferguson has practical advice. First, don’t worry if you’ve never touched design software—the design team can export models into accessible formats like 3D PDFs, web viewers, or simple walkthroughs. “I think the best thing to request is more iso/axon images and 3D walkthroughs to support the typical 2D plans used during the design phases,” Ferguson suggests.
Second, be thorough in sharing information about your equipment, processes, and needs. “My biggest tip is that a lot of the software we use can ‘talk’ to each other. We send out information and requests in formats that you can use without special software, and the more thorough you are in filling out things or marking things up the easier it is for us to apply. Sometimes it can feel like information overload, but I’ve always been in the camp where there is no such thing as too much information.”
Finally, never be afraid to speak up. “My advice is to always ask the question and speak your concerns. Misunderstandings happen, miscommunication happens. The only way to resolve them is to continue talking.”
Discover the latest in lab design software and tools, including Revit, through our Innovations in Design Tools Digital Conference webinars! All sessions are free to watch on demand and are eligible for AIA/HSW credit.
Looking ahead
As laboratories continue to evolve—supporting everything from advanced genomics to forensic science—digital tools like Revit will only become more critical. They enable teams to coordinate complex infrastructure, provide transparency to users, and reduce the risk of costly mistakes. For designers like Ferguson, the tool is more than software; it’s a bridge between disciplines and a catalyst for collaboration.
“Using Revit, Bluebeam, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word (for example) allows us to bridge that gap and create thoughtful and functional workspaces for them,” he says.
With each new project, Revit is helping turn the puzzle of laboratory design into a more precise, more collaborative, and ultimately more successful process.
