Mark Kelly has 20 years of experience as an architect and designer, exhibiting work internationally and speaking at conferences on sustainable design and future trends in lab design. He was the Design Director for two major research facilities in Melbourne. The article discusses how laboratory design is shifting towards more collaborative workspaces that attract and retain top talent through amenities like natural light, comfortable meeting areas, and proximity to urban amenities rather than isolated campus locations. Laboratories of the future will be more modular and efficient with shared technical resources, flexible workspaces, and characteristics that improve well-being like access to natural light.

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Mark Kelly’s 20 years of
international experience as an
architect and designer has seen
his work exhibited at the Royal
Academy in London, the Royal
Scottish Academy in Edinburgh,
the International Exhibition of
the work of young architects at
the University of Sydney and the
‘New Breed’ exhibition that was
travelled throughout the UK.
Mark also has extensive
experience as a speaker over
recent years: the Labs 21
Conference in 2004 where
he spoke on Sustainable
Biotechnology and Research
Facility Design, and the Lab
Build Conference 2004 in
Brisbane as a keynote speaker
on Future Trends in Lab
Design. Mark was also Design
Director for the National Stem
Cell Research Facility and the
National Neuroscience Facility
Centre in Melbourne. Mark has
a keen interest in graphics,
photography and illustration. As
a member of the Royal Institute
of Artists in Architecture, his
artwork has been on show
at the RIBA in London.
Last night I had a vision: a
research laboratory that looked
like a stylish Qantas Club lounge,
decorated with odd-shaped
analytical ornaments and abuzz
with the sound of researchers
sharing ideas and inspiration.
Boasting customised furniture and
comfortable meeting areas, this
lab had sunlit work spaces and
overnight accommodation, and was
located in a lively central business
district – not in the isolation of a
sprawling university campus.
This futuristic laboratory might not
be that far away. Governments,
universities and companies
are finding that attracting great
minds requires great facilities.
Internationally, centres are being
developed to stimulate research
and commercial developments.
There is an emphasis on
specialised laboratory buildings
that bring people together and
inspire them to do great research.
At the core of any new design
is the effect on its occupants.
Creating high technology centres
where people love to work leads to
innovation, enhanced productivity
and commercial outcomes. It
aims to attract and retain talent
designing the future: a new era in laboratory buildings
Future lab 1 – public database – critical
research and data retrieval zone.

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in an age where long-term
employment is becoming a rarity.
And with OH&S requirements
getting tighter, design elements
are already shifting towards
this lab of the future.
Lab infrastructure is set to change.
Today’s labs are cluttered with
equipment, leaving almost no
room for scientists to work. The
common sight of equipment
hanging over benches and
touching overhead cabinets is not
only awkward but also dangerous.
While some researchers are
applying make-do solutions such
as wider benches, split benches,
and racking and stacking, there is
an increasing need for larger lab
modules and specially designed
furniture and storage. Meanwhile,
to free up space, instrumentation
is being consolidated so that
only one set is required per lab.
A greater emphasis on safe work
environments is driving the need
for dry space in addition to the
primary lab space. Given the high
cost of building today, discovering
a smarter use of space is more
popular than designing a larger lab.
The highly valued ‘interaction’ areas
– recognised for their importance
in encouraging the exchange
of ideas that is vital to research
and development – must also be
incorporated into this space. We
have learnt some lessons from
the formalised interaction areas of
the 1980s and 1990s. Upgraded
by architects and designers as
important areas, they featured
plants, plush furniture, artwork,
even artificial ponds and streams.
Unfortunately they were empty.
Scientists just did not go there.
Not surprisingly, we are returning
to the early interaction areas
such as informal spaces near
kitchens, photocopy rooms and
staircases, that do not make
scientists feel like they have
stepped away from their work.
This introduces the idea of
the laboratory neighbourhood,
which takes the need for
human interaction to another
level. Traditionally, we have
been designing long bands of
laboratories on one side of a
corridor, offices on the other side,
and support space elsewhere.
Laboratory neighbourhoods
bring together all the technical
resources that researchers use
so there is no need to duplicate
expensive laboratory support
space and equipment.
The lab of the future will be more
modular and have more generic
facilities. More equipment will
service an IT savvy generation
and collaborative work areas .
Future lab 2 – Data
analysis and information
repository cell.

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will reflect a younger, relaxed
and egalitarian workforce. A
sustainable design will address the
increasing pressure on companies
to lower their impact on resources.
The lab is not immune to issues
and trends affecting the general
workforce. Staff flexibility, work-
life balance and holistic health
are influencing design, and
characteristics to improve an
overall sense of wellbeing will
be adopted. For example, we
have found that not even lab
rats like working long hours
without natural light, which is now
considered critical to the design
brief. Aside from impacting on
productivity, labs without natural
light are at a disadvantage when
it comes to attracting sought after
scientists who can be selective
about their work environments.
Out goes the 50-year-old challenge
of clutter and the risk of chronic
exposure to chemicals as
technicians’ desks move away from
the lab space and into offices or
desk clusters. They are likely to
have two types of work spaces:
laboratory space for analytical
work, and office space for report
writing. Take a look at what is
happening to workstation furniture
design in tandem with the ability
to store vast amounts of
information on an iPod or micro
PC. To remain relevant, the lab of
the future must develop in parallel
to the office and workplace of the
future. Mobile, networked
and cable-free environments will
become commonplace.
As the status of the research
community improves with every
scientific breakthrough, so will the
laboratory’s status. Increasingly
high-tech, it is destined to become
a high profile building, probably
located in a busy central area
among culture and community.ß
Images courtesy of Will Hosikian -
Interior Architect. Future neuroscience
research facility concept 2005
.
Future lab 3 – MRI
research laboratory cell.