How a culture shift improved our lab design work
This greater scope has coincided with a much-needed culture shift in the lab design industry. Scientists and lab designers were once separated by a communications barrier—a result of our differing educations. Working to generic lab design solutions, architects often designed labs in a rigid way, as if building a Lego set.
This culture was acceptable in an era when our design scope was limited. Lab architects and planners would simply create a framework where a tenant could set up the labs in their own way.
But in today’s world, lab users must have a say in how this framework is developed. This is because the life science market is heading in a new direction. Lab work is becoming ever more complex, and the old model of design firms delivering generic spaces and benches is in decline. At SMMA, our current lab projects are ultra-specific to each client and space. In turn, we design complex, equipment-driven labs that provide users with better flow and usability—things that just don’t fit into a “standard” lab.
Fortunately, lab architects and planners are now making serious efforts to understand and empathize with scientists and lab users. SMMA’s lab designers are getting involved in educational programs run by organizations such as My Green Lab, I2SL, and Harvard School of Public Health. This kind of learning helps break down the old language barrier between architects and scientists. It also means we are better able to guide lab users through the design process and propose solutions tailored to their workflow.
