Kirsten Malenke ADVANCE

The clinical laboratory is playing an increasingly important role in the field of healthcare and, accordingly, faces mounting pressure to maintain efficient workflows and stay on the forefront of technology. A major factor that influences a lab’s overall efficiency is lab design, which must account for the various processes of the lab and rapid advances in technology.

Steve Palumbo, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, the Director of Science + Technology and Associate Principal at Tsoi/Kobus and Associates (TK&A) of in Cambridge, Mass.; as well as Barbara Carpenter, Associate Principal, and Laurie DaForno, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, both designers from TK&A; share their perspectives on current trends in clinical lab design.

FOCUS ON PROCESSES

Clinical lab design is very different from research lab design, with a definite focus on the sequence of operations, processes and flow of the space. “It’s really important as designers to understand what all the different pro-

Chris Ertl, AIA, LEED AP BD+C CRB

High-performance buildings often consume massive amounts of energy, and architects seek to provide their clients with innovative savings solutions for their operational costs. These solutions are great for clients with new projects or renovations on the horizon, but what about clients whose current budgets don’t foresee any new design work?

Research shows that there are several low-cost, high-impact strategies that an institution can implement to reduce a building’s carbon footprint and improve operational expenses—even without large-scale upgrades.

1. Shut the sash: Fume hoods are one of the most energy-intensive types of equipment in a laboratory environment, but significant savings can be achieved by keeping them closed when not in use. Consider implementing a “Shut the Sash” awareness program that rewards groups who most consistently shut sashes when not in use. The practice can save up to $2,000 annually per hood.

2. Save money on lighting: Eliminat-
ing lighting in spaces that don’t need full
lighting levels can save money. Reducing the
light levels in corridors is a good first step.
Within the labs, reducing ambient lighting
to 50 foot-candles at the bench, and using
is needed, should provide sufficient light
levels for most research activities. Finally,
while it may seem like a no-brainer, priori-
tize developing a culture where the last one
out always turns off the lights.

3. Start a freezer management program: In addition to being noisy, ultralow temperature freezers use a lot of electricity and release heat into the space they occupy. Installing these freezers in central areas reduces the impact on the mechanical systems servicing your labs.