Academic Lab Design Digital Conference
Original Air Date:
Thursday, December 4, 2025
Join Lab Design and our experts for this free digital conference where industry leaders will discuss space planning, safety, and integrating technology to enhance learning and research
Academic laboratory design helps foster innovative research and effective learning environments. With the unique challenges and requirements that academic labs face, it's essential to understand the latest trends and best practices in creating spaces that support collaboration, safety, and efficient workflows.
Join Lab Design for this virtual event on Academic Lab Design, part of the Lab Design Digital Conference series, on December 4, 2025. These engaging webinars will feature expert speakers discussing essential considerations for designing and renovating academic laboratories, including space planning, safety protocols, and the integration of technology to enhance learning and research outcomes. Participants will explore how to create flexible lab spaces that can adapt to evolving research needs and promote interdisciplinary collaboration. The event will also highlight the importance of sustainability and energy efficiency in academic lab design and insights into the latest materials and technologies available.
Each presentation will conclude with an interactive Q&A session, allowing attendees to engage directly with experts and gain tailored advice for their projects. This free event can be attended live and/or accessed on demand. Sign up once to access all webinars in this series.
The webinars in the Lab Design Digital Conference series are free to attend live and/or on demand. Select sessions will be available for AIA/HSW continuing education credit.
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Agenda
11:00am-12:00pm ET
Innovation Through Collaboration: Reimagining Lab Spaces in Higher Education
In this session, the speakers will draw from a current renovation project with Louisiana State University to explore how architects and designers can partner with higher education leadership to discover forward thinking and flexible solutions for academic labs.
Faced with the challenge of retrofitting a building not originally intended for lab use, the design team worked closely with university leadership, facilities staff, and lab users to reimagine the space from the inside out. By strategically engaging stakeholders and building trust, the project transitioned from isolated, individual labs to shared, collaborative environments, including BSL2 labs, electronics labs, and cleanroom EMDLs.
Join this webinar to learn more about navigating institutional dynamics, building consensus, and designing labs that support innovation and adaptability.
Learning objectives:
Identify strategies for effective collaboration between architects, designers, and higher education leadership to support the planning and execution of innovative academic lab environments.
Analyze the challenges and opportunities of retrofitting existing buildings for specialized lab use, including considerations for structural limitations, stakeholder engagement, and long-term adaptability.
Evaluate design approaches that promote flexibility, natural light, and interdisciplinary collaboration in academic lab settings, with a focus on transitioning from isolated to shared environments.
Apply stakeholder engagement techniques to build trust and secure buy-in from facilities staff and lab users, ensuring that lab designs meet both current research needs and future institutional goals.
This course is approved by AIA CES for 1 LU credit
Speakers
Naomi Katlowitz
Architect
Gensler
Greg LaCour
Director of Campus Planning
Louisiana State University
Eric Davis
Architect
Tipton Associates
12:30-1:30pm ET
Navigating the “New” IBC Requirements for Higher Education Laboratories: What Architects, Engineers & Owners Need to Know
The 2018 International Building Code (IBC) introduced Section 428, a new set of provisions tailored specifically for higher education laboratories. These changes, carried forward into the 2021 and 2024 code editions, provide a more appropriate regulatory framework for teaching and research labs located in Group B occupancies—offering greater flexibility in chemical storage and lab placement without triggering the restrictive requirements of Group H classification.
Join this session to explore how these updates benefit academic institutions by enabling more efficient lab design, especially in multi-story buildings. Participants will gain a clear understanding of how Maximum Allowable Quantities (MAQs) are calculated in both traditional control areas and the newly defined laboratory suites. The session will also cover critical mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection (MEP/FP) considerations, along with key safety provisions that institutions must implement on an ongoing basis.
Whether you’re involved in lab planning, code compliance, engineering design, or campus operations, this webinar will equip you with the knowledge needed to confidently navigate the IBC’s updated framework for higher education laboratories.
Learning objectives:
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Describe how the updated IBC requirements for chemical quantities benefit higher education laboratories, including increased design flexibility.
Differentiate between control areas and laboratory suites and explain how Maximum Allowable Quantities (MAQs) are calculated and applied within each model.
Identify the additional mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection (MEP/FP) system requirements that apply when using the laboratory suite provisions under IBC Section 428.
Recognize the recurring safety obligations that must be maintained by the building owner or institution, including inventory tracking, signage, and chemical management protocols per the IFC and NFPA 45.
This course is approved by AIA CES for 1 LU/HSW credit
Speakers
Greg Smithmyer
Project Manager and Senior Project Engineer
Affiliated Engineers, Inc.
Kelley Waldrop
Senior Associate
Lord Aeck Sargent Planning & Design, Inc.
2:00-3:00pm ET
Developer-Driven Labs: An Emerging Model Evolving Academic Research Spaces
As academic institutions face increasing pressure to expand research capacity, attract top talent, and control capital costs, developer-driven labs are emerging as a compelling alternative to traditional institution-owned facilities. Often delivered through public-private partnerships, this model delivers flexible, core-and-shell spaces that can be tailored by tenants—without universities carrying the burden of development and long-term operations. Located in or adjacent to innovation districts, developer-led lab projects embed universities in vibrant research ecosystems while accelerating delivery and mitigating risk.
Aggie Square is an innovation district that elevates the model by embracing the local community while supporting university and industry partnerships, fostering collaboration, and accelerating growth. Developed by Wexford Science + Technology, the project co-locates academic and private researchers within a walkable, community-oriented district designed to spark collaboration, discovery, and speed to market. The first phase comprises two buildings with flexible, light-filled labs, industry incubators, and transparent ground-floor maker spaces that engage the public and inspire future STEM leaders.
Departing from a traditional P3, Aggie Square also follows Wexford’s third-party developer model. This approach provides a more innovative and efficient design process, faster project implementation, expertise in developing and operating innovation districts, risk mitigation, and community benefits strategy.
Balancing UC Davis’s need for teaching and research space with the desire to create an innovation district designed to super charge discovery made this approach ideal. With thoughtful design rooted in Sacramento’s character, sustainable all-electric infrastructure, and a curated public realm, Aggie Square exemplifies how developer-driven partnerships can advance institutional goals, catalyze economic development, and create shared value for the broader community.
Learning objectives:
Explore the planning, design, and delivery strategies behind Aggie Square as a case study in co-locating academia, industry, and community within an innovation district.
Learn how complex partnerships can drive discovery and speed to market.
Understand how building planning can drive communal interaction, which fosters collaboration across disciplines.
Teach the application of passive and active design strategies in context of local climate and mix of program typologies to make spaces healthier, more efficient, and inviting.
This course is approved by AIA CES for 1 LU/HSW credit
Speakers
Claire Drummond
Vice President, Development
Wexford Science + Technology
Vlad Pajkic
Partner
ZGF
3:30-4:30pm ET
Implementing Ventilation Risk Assessment and Energy Improvements for a Teaching Lab Renovation
This presentation will explore the design strategies implemented during a recent renovation of a higher education teaching lab. Overall goals that drove the teaching mission created scenarios for chemical use on open benchtops, the design team conducted a Laboratory Ventilation Risk Assessment (LVRA), ultimately adjusting air change rates to balance safety with efficiency. The session will detail how the team collaborated with the owner to align risk levels with ASHRAE and IMC guidelines, leading to a final recommendation for the client. Additionally, attendees will learn how the project met ambitious energy and deferred maintenance goals through strategic HVAC upgrades—including the use of an innovative energy recovery system—laying the groundwork for future lab renovations without further infrastructure changes.
Learning objectives:
Understand how to balance program objectives and teaching pedagogy with ventilation requirements.
Understand fume hood use for different hazard levels in higher education laboratory settings.
Compare I2SL LVRA, ASHRAE, and Code for right-sizing the ventilation system.
Learn how to upgrade an existing building for future energy performance.
This course is approved by AIA CES for 1 LU/HSW credit
Speakers
Laura Finuf
Senior Associate
Hord Coplan Macht
Taylor Teed, PE
Senior Mechanical Engineer
Cator, Ruma & Associates