ABOVE: Laboratory buildings designed by architect Louis I. Kahn at the Salk Institute in California
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Scientists and architects collaborate during the construction of research buildings, but often lack a common language to discuss requirements and features. As a result, upon completion, buildings often require frustrating and expensive renovations to make them research-ready. Designers generally employ a “human-oriented” approach to constructing research buildings, and don’t pay enough attention to lab operation needs. Unsurprisingly, most input regarding lab space is provided by university higher-ups such as presidents and tenured faculty. Meanwhile, those who will be spending years toiling inside these spaces–the technicians, postdocs, and graduate students–are not asked for input nearly enough. Balancing these groups’ different requirements is a challenging task, and practicing researchers should provide more input moving forward. Here we suggest ways in which such interactions can work, and tools scientists can use to contribute during the planning ...
