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Designing for Containment: The High Stakes of Fume Hood Specification
Fume hood failures often result not from the equipment itself but from room design, airflow dynamics, and user interactions—a new book emphasizes specifying and testing hoods under real-world, dynamic conditions to ensure long-term lab safety
Unexpected Risks, Planned Solutions: Safety in Lab Design
A recent explosion at a Harvard lab underscores the need for resilient, access-controlled, behavior-informed, and well-designed laboratory environments, and expert Dan Scungio outlines how thoughtful planning—from materials and infrastructure to low-cost upgrades, user behavior, and risk-based zoning—can prevent minor incidents from escalating into catastrophic ones
What’s Shaking?! Controlling External and Internal Vibrations in an Ultra-Sensitive Laboratory
At the 2025 Lab Design Conference, Michael Wesolowsky and Ryan Velasco showcased a case study on controlling vibrations in ultra-sensitive labs at CU Boulder, highlighting how careful site analysis, structural design, and collaboration ensure both scientific precision and occupant safety—a topic Wesolowsky will continue exploring in a hands-on roundtable at the 2026 conference
Minimizing Risk: Strategies for Design and Construction
Laboratory design and construction teams can minimize risk—and improve project outcomes—by embedding proactive risk management strategies, clear communication, collaborative culture, and advanced planning tools into every phase of a project.
Renovating Laboratories: Key Concerns and Challenges in Transforming Existing Spaces
Laboratory renovation offers sustainability and cost advantages over new construction but poses complex challenges—including structural limits, MEP upgrades, safety compliance, and stakeholder coordination—that require careful planning and collaboration to create flexible, high-performing research spaces
Fire Safety Concerns in Laboratory Design
Fire safety in laboratories requires holistic, intentional design that integrates code compliance, hazard mitigation, resilient infrastructure, and support for staff preparedness to prevent, contain, and respond to incidents while protecting people, research, and operations
Science for Everyone: Moving Beyond ADA in Lab Design
Achieving true inclusivity in lab environments means going beyond ADA compliance to consider the full spectrum of human abilities—both visible and invisible—by integrating accessibility into the design process from the outset, with empathy guiding decisions rather than just code requirements
Rebar Collapse Halts Work on University’s Engineering Lab Expansion
A structural rebar and post-tension cable collapse at the University of Victoria’s $89.6 million Engineering and Computer Science expansion site caused a temporary road closure and raised safety concerns, though no injuries were reported and investigations are ongoing to determine the cause and impact on the project timeline
Designing Against the Clock: How Isotope Half-Life and Chemistry Shape Radiopharma Facility Design
The unique time-sensitive nature of radiopharmaceuticals—driven by the physics of radioactive decay—shapes every facet of facility design, offering lab planners, architects, and lab managers detailed guidance on how to align site selection, workflow layout, infrastructure, and safety systems
Right Idea, Wrong Building: Navigating the Unintended Consequences of USP <800> Compliance
When designing a compounding pharmacy, failing to assess a building’s structural, mechanical, and electrical feasibility before committing can lead to costly obstacles to USP compliance