LABORATORY DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
Through ‘clever engineering’, Buro Happold says it was able to ensure that lab facilities can be accessed 24 hours a day, whenever they’re needed.
energy-intensive process. In the past fume cupboards would run
continuously. To solve this problem we decided to use a variable air volume fume cupboard system. This allows the LMS building to only run fume cupboards at full air volume when needed, greatly reducing their energy consumption. There were other considerations for
the Facilities management team too. We installed smart control systems for heating, cooling, gas, and water, allowing for each part of the building to be monitored and controlled individually. This allows Estates teams to optimise conditions for users and create savings during quieter times.
Full handover process We also ensured that Estates teams were trained to operate these systems – a really important part of realising energy efficiency into operation. This included a full handover process with contractors, the Estates Management team, and Buro Happold’s MEP consultants. This is often an overlooked aspect of facilities management, so it was important for us to ensure that the Facilities Management team on site knew how to operate the
The ‘feature staircase’ runs the full height of the building, in a single sweep from the atrium.
building and had their questions answered. Creating a building that runs effectively
was just one part of the challenge for Buro Happold’s engineers. Buro Happold’s specialist laboratory consultancy (formerly Abell Nepp Architects) was focused on creating bespoke laboratory space for over 40 research groups. This brought its own challenges, as laboratory space would need to cater for the specialist needs of each individual research group, as well as containing areas where collaborative working between groups could happen. The solution was to encourage the sharing of specialist technical equipment and activities by placing them between open flexible laboratories and write-up spaces. This allowed access to the specialist labs from either end, saving space and reducing costs, and encouraging greater collaboration between teams. We also allocated lab space based on the specialisation of each research group – not only to save space, but also to place research groups whose work most closely overlapped near each other. To achieve this without compromising on the quality of workspace required a huge amount of lab planning. This included
regular consultation with the architects and research groups themselves. This began at the design stage, but continued throughout the construction and handover process too. As a result, we were able to create bespoke laboratory spaces for over 40 research groups without compromising on the collaborative elements of the design. As well as containing traditional wet labs, the new building features a range of bioinformatics facilities that allow for high computational science to take place. With medical imaging central to the work of the MRC, the new facilities feature highly sensitive imaging equipment, including cryo-electron microscopes and confocal microscopes. Installing this kind of technical equipment creates its own challenges. Often specialist equipment is incredibly sensitive, affected by, for instance, fractional changes to humidity, vibrations, temperature, and air pressure. So, before installing equipment we had to make sure that conditions were suitable, but, most importantly, would remain stable. Providing a stable platform is essential
to making science happen. Scientists need to be confident that all experiments will be completed under the same conditions. This was a significant but important engineering challenge, because when dealing with incredibly sensitive equipment even the smallest vibrations or movements can disrupt experiments.
Office space in the impressive new building.
Super-resolution imaging With the super-resolution imaging and cryo-EM suites, our acoustics team needed to mitigate vibration and electromagnetic fields to exceptionally low levels, including those generated by lifts and external vehicle movements. This included designing in and incorporating 20% heavier foundations in these locations, as well as careful consideration of the location of plant and logistical facilities. The significance of this engineering on scientific activity can’t be understated. In extreme cases, where this kind of
March 2024 Health Estate Journal 39
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