The Importance of Comprehensive Test Fits in Lab Design
Perception of Minimal Value
When management views a comprehensive test fit as an unnecessary expense, it’s likely believed thatthat the initial evaluation process involved adds extra cost and time to the project without providing enough valuable information to justify the added step. This perception could lead to delays in moving forward with the design and construction phases.
While the focus is on minimizing upfront costs, management often views the time and resources spent on a test fit as a direct expense that could be better allocated elsewhere in the project, not fully understanding the potential benefits.
Consequently, a comprehensive test fit is often seen as a basic layout check that can be done with less detailed analysis, potentially overlooking its role in identifying major feasibility issues early on.
Consequences of an Improper Test Fit
The cost of a comprehensive test fit can be inconsequential in comparison to purchase, architectural, mechanical engineering, and construction change orders that may be needed to remediate oversights. These oversights can include the reordering of lab benches, re-opening walls, running additional power lines, exhaust ducts, upgrading or re-installing electrical panels, and other costly fixes required to adequately accommodate instrumentation and laboratory workflows.
Relying on staff preferences for instrument placement with a clear understanding of the architectural, mechanical, or environmental limitations of the space, or a holistic understanding of the building architecture or engineering plans, often needs to consider the practical implications of the space. This can lead to suboptimal designs or costly remediations after plans have been drawn up and construction has been completed.
Considerations such as full footprint requirements, including data systems, peripheral equipment, and accessories, proper clearances to ensure gas and electrical connections, heat dissipation of rough pumps, accessibility by service engineers to service the equipment, bench weight tolerances, gas pressure decay distances from gas supplies, are just some of the factors that need to be taken into account for design feasibility.
Technical Knowledge is Critical to Proper Lab Design
Architects are often depended upon to design laboratories, relying on scientists' input and the owner's project managers (OPMs). Though fluent in new project construction, OPMs may not have the required technical understanding of laboratory instrumentation, service, and support requirements, as well as other critical considerations that affect the proper placement of instrumentation in the laboratory.
Proper laboratory design should be a process of collaboration between the client, their architect and mechanical engineers, and a laboratory instrument specialist with the technical instrumentation and engineering expertise to ensure proper umbilical support for the assets in the laboratory. An understanding of environmental requirements, engineering dependencies, connectivity to the laboratory's umbilical systems, and the laboratory workflow are required for a proper test fit and are essential for proper laboratory design.
A comprehensive audit of the laboratory's assets, an understanding of environmental requirements, engineering dependencies, connectivity to the laboratory's umbilical systems, and the laboratory workflow are required for a proper test fit and are essential for proper laboratory design.
