Why Holistic Planning Leads to Better Labs: On the Floor at the Lab Design Conference

Laboratory projects are under increasing pressure to accomplish more than ever before. Owners expect buildings that support cutting-edge research, provide safe environments for occupants, reduce energy use and carbon emissions, and remain adaptable for future needs—all while staying on budget and on schedule.

Aimée Smith is director of technical excellence and principal at RWDI, as well as a member of the Lab Design News editorial board. According to Smith, the key to meeting those competing demands is taking a holistic approach from the very beginning of the project.

Speaking with Janette Wider, managing editor of The Dark Report and Dark Daily, during the 2026 Lab Design Conference in Orlando, FL, Smith said one of the biggest challenges facing laboratory clients today is balancing building performance with sustainability goals.

"Labs are high-performance buildings," Smith explained. They must meet stringent safety and operational requirements while also addressing growing expectations around energy efficiency and carbon reduction. Too often, she noted, projects approach those objectives independently, creating tradeoffs that could have been avoided through more integrated planning.

Rather than optimizing individual building systems in isolation, Smith encouraged project teams to consider how decisions about ventilation, façades, acoustics, vibration control, energy use, and occupant comfort influence one another throughout the design process. Looking at building performance as an interconnected system can help teams avoid sacrificing operational requirements in pursuit of sustainability targets—or vice versa.

For laboratory owners and planners, that integrated thinking should begin well before detailed design.

Smith emphasized that concept design is not too early to establish project objectives and evaluate how they interact. Early performance modeling and interdisciplinary collaboration give project teams more flexibility to evaluate alternatives before major decisions become difficult or expensive to change.

However, she cautioned that early planning alone is not enough. Design intent must be protected throughout construction and commissioning to ensure the completed facility delivers the performance envisioned during design.

Features that are carefully optimized early in the project—from ventilation strategies to façade performance, acoustics, and vibration mitigation—can be compromised if they are not carried through construction or properly verified during commissioning. Maintaining continuity across every phase helps ensure that performance goals are translated into real-world outcomes rather than remaining design aspirations.

As laboratory projects continue to grow in complexity, Smith's advice offers a valuable reminder: successful facilities are not created through a series of isolated design decisions, but through continuous collaboration and an integrated performance strategy that begins early and extends through occupancy.

Key takeaways from Aimée Smith

Before watching the interview, keep these three ideas in mind:

• Think holistically from day one. High-performing labs aren't created by optimizing individual systems independently. Early coordination across architecture, engineering, sustainability, and operations helps teams avoid costly tradeoffs later.

• Balance performance with sustainability. Laboratory buildings must meet rigorous safety and research requirements while reducing energy use and carbon emissions. Achieving both requires integrated decision-making rather than competing priorities.

• Protect design intent through commissioning. Performance modeling and design optimization only deliver value if those goals are carried through construction, verified during commissioning, and reflected in the finished facility.

Watch the full interview below to hear Smith discuss why integrated performance planning is becoming essential for today's laboratory projects—and what owners, planners, and design teams can do now to improve long-term building performance.