‘There are nurses backwards and forwards...consultants....and although you can feel that a lot is going on, it’s still calm.’.

Architectural requirements for lab design.The laboratory design architect’s role does not end with laying out the laboratory equipment.

It’s important to work with the client team to agree the lab furniture and necessary finishes, as there may be specific Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) requirements or chemical properties which can dictate the solution..There are lots of specialists for lab furniture, with the lab users being a good resource for their preferred manufacturer or issues with their current furniture.Understanding what the users want the laboratory furniture for will enable us to provide the correct solution.

Often it’s just a worktop for a piece of lab equipment to sit on or for writing-up, but sometimes it’s storage or mobile benching.For storage solutions, we will always try to find out what users plan to store in the unit, as sometimes it may require ventilation to prevent the build-up of gases.. We have had issues with the floor specification not being suitable for specific chemical spills, and even with the impact resistance for when the client installs their laboratory equipment.

The users will often be able to help with the specification of finishes, but typically wipe-down surfaces are suitable for most applications..

When it comes to lab sinks, it is important to determine what the lab sink is for before selecting a standard unit.One of the key things she noticed was that representation from the Global South is increasing.

The Global South is composed of poor countries who lack access to energy to help build their economies and infrastructure.Gogan notes that the people in these areas are already very exposed to climate impacts, and they’re also much less resilient to them.

These countries have a simultaneous demand for both energy growth and decarbonisation, meaning that they’re in very serious need of clean energy solutions..Considering that the industrialised world has contributed the majority of historical carbon emissions, Gogan points out that it’s really becoming socially unacceptable for us to continue to move so slowly to decarbonise our own economies, giving support to one technology, but not another.