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Measuring for Scientific Impact: Metrics That Drive Laboratory Design
At the 2025 Lab Design Conference, Regal Leftwich of CannonDesign emphasized that laboratory planning must be grounded in measurable, future-ready metrics—ranging from research intensity and utilization to flexibility and life-cycle cost—asserting that by aligning design decisions with evolving scientific workflows, interdisciplinary collaboration, and grant-readiness, labs can become powerful tools for advancing research impact while optimizing long-term value
Tips and Topic Ideas for Speaking at the Lab Design Conference
The Lab Design Conference unites diverse lab professionals to share honest, practical insights and lessons learned from real-world projects—beyond polished success stories—to help attendees navigate every stage of lab planning, construction, and operation with actionable takeaways and meaningful engagement
Flinders University Redefines Lab Interiors, Clinches Design Excellence Award
Flinders University’s Health and Medical Research Building earned the 2025 Design Excellence Award for Interior Design, recognized for its innovative integration of adaptable laboratory spaces, biophilic elements, and culturally informed design that supports collaborative medical research
The Role of Pharmacy Within a Broader Interdisciplinary Research Environment
At the 2025 Lab Design Conference, architects Jeffery Bottomley and Luke Voiland of Shepley Bulfinch joined Dr. Lamar Pritchard of the University of Houston to highlight pharmacy’s growing role in interdisciplinary research
Share Your Lab Design Journey at the 2026 Lab Design Conference
Speaker proposals are being accepted until August 8 for the 2026 Lab Design Conference in Orlando—lab managers, end users, and design professionals are invited to share real-world lessons from lab renovations, new builds, expansions, and sustainability-focused projects to help others navigate the challenges of planning, building, and optimizing laboratory spaces
Water Lab Combines Sustainability, Human-Centered Design to Win 2025 Design Excellence Award
The Aquon Water Research & Analysis Laboratory in Houten, Netherlands—designed by Vakwerk Architecten—won the 2025 Excellence in Sustainable Design Award for its innovative integration of adaptable, energy-efficient systems and biobased materials that prioritize both environmental performance and human wellbeing
Designing Toward Absolute Zero: Practical Strategies for Carbon-Neutral Laboratories
At the 2025 Lab Design Conference, Kristen DiStefano of Atelier Ten and Ryan Velasco of ZGF urged the industry to move beyond net zero and embrace absolute zero carbon design, emphasizing that through passive, all-electric systems, adaptive reuse, renewable energy, and carbon-sequestering materials, laboratories can lead the way in redefining sustainable architecture for high-performance environments
Call for Speakers: Share Your Expertise at the 2026 Lab Design Conference
Lab Design is now accepting speaker proposals for the 2026 Lab Design Conference, prioritizing sessions that feature lab end users, share real-world lessons learned, and offer practical, health- and safety-focused insights for lab planning, renovation, and optimization—submissions are due by August 8
Transforming a Legacy: NIH Renovation Project Honored in 2025 Design Excellence Awards
The NIH has completed a transformative renovation of the E-Wing of Building 10, a 250,000-square-foot adaptive reuse project designed by Perkins&Will that modernizes the historic Clinical Center to support cutting-edge translational research, patient care, and biomedical education—an effort recognized in the 2025 Design Excellence Awards for Whole Building/Holistic Design—Renovated
The Future of Labs—Designing for Automation
At the 2025 Lab Design Conference, architect Yvonne Choe emphasized that as automation and AI transform laboratory workflows, infrastructure, and staffing, lab design must evolve to support not only robotic systems but also the human collaboration and innovation that drive scientific discovery