Four tips for the interior design of a scientific laboratory

Recently, at the "Science, Innovation and Change" conference, we got some great ideas about the latest innovations and developments in the
 field of laboratory interior design.

In the following, we point out four interesting points that were raised in this conference:
1- Designing an in-depth laboratory or employee health and well-being

Day by day, the desire for deep scientific buildings that have efficient operational design is increasing, but in this design, attention
 should be paid to artificial and natural lighting and viewing the scenery to increase the satisfaction and well-being of the residents.
But there is a contradiction between technical and flexible laboratory buildings that can grow in large and deep floors and spaces that 
are illuminated by natural light. In laboratory buildings, the approach of deep floors prevails, and environmental comfort and employee 
well-being are the next priority. But recent changes in lighting technology, design tools, and user expectations have provided opportunitie
s to rethink architectural conventions and challenge this thinking.

2- Equipment sharing - Do you go to a website like Airbnb for science lab equipment? we need?
Science and technology parks are large-scale projects that usually have a number of different scientific end-users. In addition, the
 sharing of equipment between science and technology parks and growth centers is limited.
The challenging element of science and technology park designs is related to the large spaces occupied by equipment and the amount
 of use required by the building operator and tenants. Science and technology park administrators say that the economic aspect of joint
 use of equipment is very weak, and as a result, it is limited to a small number of equipment.If owners can benefit from the income 
stream of renting out their equipment, they could probably use an online rental marketplace like
 Airbnb. This gives suppliers the opportunity to lease their unused equipment, perhaps increasing asset utilization. At present, there
 are few businesses in the UK for the hire of laboratory and scientific equipment, but the increasing demand for these businesses
 creates opportunities for small start-up organisations.

3- Optimizing energy consumption in animal care centers through ventilated cages
Ben Barden′s article discussed new methods of designing low-energy rooms for keeping animals through the use of ventilated cages.
The condition of animal health is measured by the amount of air change in a room, and the regulations of the Ministry of the Interior 
of England have determined the amount of air change for rooms housing living organisms. But in recent years, the Ministry of Interior
has adopted new methods to regulate the health of animals in centers for keeping living creatures.

This depends on providing evidence of how animal health environmental conditions are achieved through the proposed design and provides
 an opportunity for design teams to use different solutions to optimize the amount of air change in facilities.

Ben suggests using ventilated cages, where each cage is individually ventilated. With this method, the heat level in the small 

environment created inside each cage can be controlled. Because all ventilated cages have their own air storage, the air management and
 heat level of each cage is better. In this method, the user can optimize the air based on the animal′s needs, and as a result, energy
 consumption is significantly saved, costs and unnecessary air storage for empty cages or animals that need less air are reduced.

4- Safe release of gas must not be expensive
Richard Walder has investigated that wind tunnel testing can save a lot of energy in gas extraction systems when performed by
identifying the limits of nearby receivers. The chemical leakage scenario is used to calculate the permissible limits, and from it, the
 release speed and height of the gas release concentration are determined.

By reducing the fan discharge speed, in some situations, it is possible to save more energy. But one must consider the maintenance
 costs associated with variable emission systems, including maintenance of the fan reverser and regular validation of different 
emission rates, which may negate energy savings in some scenarios.

Depending on the activities carried out in the scientific laboratory and their context, the approach to risk is important, especially
if the issue is odor rather than health. Customers may want the speed to always be low based on the low probability of a problem
 occurring. In the design in such a way that gas release has a lower speed, less pressure is needed, which ultimately leads to a
 reduction in energy consumption and costs in the long term.
When variable emission systems are in place, the location of the anemometer is important. Its positioning usually requires further wind
 tunnel analysis to identify the most suitable location for it.