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KC Water Expands Laboratory for the Next Generation of Testing
The KC Water laboratory, which has served as Kansas City’s hub for water quality testing for over 30 years, is undergoing a phased expansion and renovation to increase testing capacity, improve safety and workflows, integrate staff-driven design, ensure uninterrupted operations, and incorporate sustainable, future-ready infrastructure that positions the facility to meet evolving regulatory and technological demands
Advancing Efficiency in Laboratory Design: Actionable Insights from NREL
In the closing session of the 2025 Lab Design Conference, experts from NREL highlighted how the Smart Labs framework offers a practical path to significantly reduce laboratory energy use—without sacrificing safety—through data-driven ventilation strategies, stakeholder collaboration, and continuous operational improvement
USDA Announces Closure of Key Agricultural Research Center; Future Plans Remain Unclear
The USDA’s plan to close the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland has raised concerns among lawmakers, researchers, and farm groups, who warn that shuttering the facility could disrupt critical agricultural research and leaves the future of its laboratories, equipment, and infrastructure uncertain
What Crime Labs Need Now—and Tomorrow: Insights from Arkansas’ New Facility
The design and construction of the new Arkansas State Crime Laboratory highlight the importance of early user engagement, flexible infrastructure, and careful planning to meet evolving forensic science needs and operational workflows
Designing for Impact: How Kansas’ New Lab Advances Testing, Safety, and Workforce Retention
Kansas’ new $72 million public health laboratory, designed in collaboration with staff and built to replace a failing 1950s-era facility, dramatically improves testing efficiency, safety, and workforce retention through flexible lab design, shared instrumentation, modern amenities, and dedicated spaces for training, collaboration, and community engagement
Proposed NOAA Lab Closures Raise Critical Questions about Research Facilities
The proposed NOAA budget would shut down key physical research laboratories across the country, leaving the future of their specialized buildings, equipment, and ongoing infrastructure upgrades uncertain
Making the Case: How Labs Can Advocate for Upgrades and Expansion
Sedgwick County’s Forensic Science Center illustrates the power of aligning lab needs with public impact
Transforming a Legacy: NIH Renovation Project Honored in 2025 Design Excellence Awards
The NIH has completed a transformative renovation of the E-Wing of Building 10, a 250,000-square-foot adaptive reuse project designed by Perkins&Will that modernizes the historic Clinical Center to support cutting-edge translational research, patient care, and biomedical education—an effort recognized in the 2025 Design Excellence Awards for Whole Building/Holistic Design—Renovated
New Laboratory Reinforces National Standards for Weights and Measures
The National Council on Weights and Measures has opened a new headquarters and National Type Evaluation Program Laboratory in Nebraska, designed to enhance certification capacity for weighing devices, support fair commerce, and ensure timely market access through purpose-built, future-ready testing infrastructure
From Elk to Evidence: Building Missouri’s Next-Gen Laboratory Campus
The Missouri Multi-Agency Laboratory Campus will centralize five state agencies, featuring specialized lab spaces, sustainable systems, and collaborative environments to advance public health, forensic science, and environmental research across the state