Digital Laboratory Planning: How Production and Research Buildings Can Remain Functional for Decades

Laboratories are highly specialised working environments in which safety, efficiency and flexibility must come together. At the same time, priorities, technologies and regulatory requirements are changing in ever shorter cycles. Digital laboratory planning provides methodological approaches for designing buildings that meet today’s requirements and can be adapted to future developments. The focus is on building information modelling (BIM), modular room concepts and a user-centred design approach.

For a long time, laboratory rooms were closely tailored to known processes and individual research priorities. However, it is impossible to predict today which technologies or scientific questions will be relevant in ten, twenty or fifty years’ time. This results in a basic requirement for modern laboratory construction: maximum adaptability of the building infrastructure.

This is precisely where the concept of so-called ‘basic laboratories’ comes in. Instead of fixed room layouts, a laboratory infrastructure is created that can be redesigned with comparatively little effort. Flexible media supply, mobile laboratory furniture and clearly zoned safety areas make it possible to adapt rooms to new usage scenarios without extensive structural work. In this context, modular planning means considering variability as early as the design phase. Thus a building remains economical and functional throughout its entire life cycle.

Digital planning tools provide the technical basis for this approach. BIM makes it possible to bring all building data together in a consistent digital model. Architecture, technical building equipment, media supply and safety concepts can thus be worked on in an interdisciplinary and collaborative manner. Changes to one element are traceable throughout the entire model, which reduces planning errors and increases transparency for all project participants.

Another advantage of digital planning methods is the involvement of future users. Technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality provide insights into planned laboratory rooms as early as the concept phase. Usage scenarios become tangible at an early stage, and different variants can be tested and evaluated in the digital model. This approach facilitates informed decisions, especially in the case of complex laboratory structures with high technical, safety and ergonomic requirements. Regular review workshops and feedback loops make the entire planning process collaborative and transparent.

People as the Benchmark for Planning

In addition to the technical infrastructure, the question of how laboratory spaces support the people who work in them is becoming increasingly important. The human-centred design approach goes beyond ergonomic standards and takes into account the psychological, social and cultural dimensions of working in a laboratory. Smart zoning, well-thought-out lighting and a conscious choice of materials help to create spaces that offer orientation, promote concentrated work and facilitate exchange between researchers.

What was long discussed primarily in office environments under the term ‘New Work’ is increasingly finding its way into scientific and productive work environments. In addition to pure laboratory space, retreat areas, communication zones and agile meeting areas are now part of laboratory culture. Hybrid room concepts that enable focused work, team research and informal exchange in equal measure are gaining in importance. In digital laboratory planning, such requirements can be integrated into a building model at an early stage and coordinated with the technical infrastructure.

The aspect of sustainability also benefits from the end-to-end digitalisation of the planning process. Digital models create a consistently consistent data space across the entire building life cycle – from the selection of recyclable materials and energy-optimised building technology to automated operational management. In conjunction with sensor technology, IoT and smart building systems, room climate, energy flows and technical systems can be recorded. And also dynamically controlled in real time. Artificial intelligence complements this approach with predictable maintenance, smart load distribution and adaptive ventilation systems. For laboratory environments, this means stable conditions for research and development – with lower operating costs and greater supply security.

Digital laboratory planning thus combines technical precision, design accuracy and forward thinking into an integrative planning approach. Research and work buildings constructed on this basis are not limited to a specific use. But they offer the structural openness to adapt to changing requirements over decades.

Source: Trade journal ‘Laborpraxis’

Foto: ETAJOE