High-Profile Focus: Schools and Institutions
32
September 2025
Back to School: The Evolution of Academic Laboratory Design
By Edwin Hargrave Academic laboratory design is in a constant state of evolution; good planning practices, however, stand the test of time. TRIA is currently designing renovations to Dartmouth College’s Burke Chemistry building, a science facility I designed approximately 30 years ago (in prior practice). Returning to the campus has provided an opportunity to reflect on design innovations of the time and compare them to current trends. Lab Safety Innovations
Lab safety was a significant driver in Burke’s original design. Separating writeup areas from laboratories on the research floors was a deliberate break from the conventional approach, which placed the desks adjacent to the benches. Grouping writeup areas in separate spaces off the lab corridor – with large windows and interconnecting doors to facilitate observation and access – is far safer as it limits non-essential time in the lab and has
become a standard planning approach. An entry vestibule at the access point of each lab features a complete wall of safety measures, including an emergency shower/eyewash, extinguisher, emergency shutoff switches for electrical and flammable lab gases, Chemical MSDS Sheets, and lab coats/eyewear. An innovation at the time, these Lab Safety Panels were the basis for the contemporary PPE Station. Labs on the teaching floors were equipped with first-generation all-glass fume hoods, which provide visibility across the entire lab and let the instructor monitor student activities, key to preventing accidents in introductory courses. These hoods have become standard, widely available items. Designing for Collaboration
Providing opportunities for meaningful faculty/student interaction near the labs was also critical. In Burke, the faculty offices are clustered at both ends of the lab corridor, just a few steps away from the writeup areas. This arrangement facilitates learning moments with easy access to the labs and research data. Today’s planning approach follows this arrangement with a robust mixture of formal and informal collaboration spaces. Structural Considerations
Burke’s modular planning stacked small, cellular PI research labs above the
Dartmouth College’s Burke Chemistry building
teaching lab floors, using a cast-in-place concrete structure to keep the lower-level teaching labs column-free. Modular planning is even more critical in today’s corporate life sciences, where long-term flexibility is mandatory for commercially leased facilities and owned assets. Small PI research labs have given way to larger shared open labs these days, letting research teams tackle more complex problems and better preparing students for their future workplaces. The concrete structure pays additional dividends through exceedingly stiff floor slabs, and a shallow overall structure allows more plenum space to accommodate complex mechanical systems. Today’s automated research
equipment benefits from the stiff slabs; the additional plenum space is useful from day one into the future (The TRIA team is also benefiting from these as we plan a state-of-the-art laser lab in place of a former research lab.). Closing Thoughts
We’re pleased to find that Burke is holding up well and supporting new research programs and more sophisticated equipment. The building’s design innovations have stood the test of time and become the basis for further evolution – highly rewarding where lab safety is concerned. Edwin Hargrave is principal at TRIA Architects, Inc.
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