Now that you have gained insights into various laboratory facility features and their role in supporting biorisk management, we will engage in an exercise to design a basic laboratory from the ground up. I understand that many of you may not be professional laboratory designers and may not frequently have the opportunity to contribute to the planning of new facilities. However, this exercise, combined with your knowledge of laboratory design principles, can empower you to effectively organize or even renovate an existing laboratory space.

To initiate this exercise, gather your colleagues and ensure you have paper and writing materials at hand. Engage in a collaborative brainstorming session to sketch and refine your ideas, taking the time to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each design choice. This collective effort will not only deepen your understanding of laboratory design but also cultivate innovative solutions tailored to your specific requirements.

Every laboratory can be conceptualized as a box. Let’s begin with the fundamental questions: What dimensions should this box encompass? What shape will best serve your needs? Consider the surfaces for the floors, ceiling, and walls—what materials will be most effective? Next, deliberate on the inclusion of windows. Will they be operable or fixed? What type of glass will you choose, and how many windows are necessary? Consider their size and placement for optimal natural light and ventilation. Additionally, evaluate the number and type of doors required. Where should they be located? Should they be self-closing, and what type of locking mechanism will provide the necessary security? Lastly, will you incorporate a window in the door itself?

Now that you have the box, it’s time to consider its contents and layout. What type of benches will you include, and how many do you need? Will they be movable, stationary, or a combination of both? Additionally, what height specifications are required for these benches? Consider the equipment necessary for your operations. What specific tools and devices will you need, and why are they essential? It’s important to plan where this equipment will be situated within the box to ensure optimal functionality. Don’t overlook the importance of incorporating support functions into your design. Allocate space for essential items such as fire extinguishers, coat hooks, sinks (both for chemical use and handwashing), changing areas, consumable storage, and communication tools. Furthermore, consider the number of personnel who will be working in this space. What is the primary function of your room—will it serve a generic purpose or a specific one? This distinction may significantly influence your design choices. For instance, a laboratory intended for chemical work will necessitate different design considerations compared to one focused on cell culture.

Now let’s make the box work by adding utilities. How much electricity do you need? What type? Where should the sockets be? What type of water and drains do you need? Do you want or need floor drains? What kind of ventilation do you need? Recirculating or exhausted? How much? Will there be inward, direction airflow? Heating and cooling – how? How much? How is this controlled? Consider lighting – normal and emergency? What about task lighting? Communications? Phone? Computers? Wi-Fi? Security?

Now that you have designed a basic laboratory you may need additional enhancements based on your risk assessment. You may need additional facility features beyond the basic to mitigate additional risks from the agents or procedures. You must justify every enhancement because it will incur additional costs to build and maintain. You may wish to add (but only if needed) things like: biosafety cabinets, additional entry security, additional PPE storage and change area, negative pressure, anteroom, hands-free faucets, shower out capability, pass-through autoclave, fumigation room, etc.

Facility design exercise

Now that you have designed a laboratory with the correct features, consider where in the larger facility this laboratory should be located. This facility design exercise will get you to think about where you should locate various different activities or functions within a facility. 

First, list all the various functions or activities your facility does. For example, here are just a few that are typically found in a general microbiology facility: administration, change rooms, bacteriology, virology, cell culture, autoclave room, storage, PCR room, glassware preparation, sample receiving, etc. There may be more or less depending upon your facility. Now categorize these spaces into the degree of biorisk they may have. For example, the administration space (offices) should have no biorisk, while the virology or bacteriology spaces will have significant risk. Order all the spaces you have identified from low to high risk. 

Now arrange these spaces within the larger facility. In general, you should put all the low-risk functions or spaces together and all the high-risk spaces together. In general, all the low-risk areas are at the front of the building (where the general public may have access) and all the high-risk areas are at the back of the building, in the middle of the building and away from high-traffic areas. 

Once you have a well-designed laboratory inside of a well-designed and arranged facility biorisk management is easier to implement and support.