How to Create a 21st Century Lab

– Contributed content –

13 June 2018. No matter what your research expertise is, if you are planning on expanding, you will need to set up your own laboratory facilities so you can manage your projects better. If you want to create a statement and make sure that all technologies support your technicians and researchers, you will have to take into consideration the latest improvements in lab technology that will make your facilities stand out and accommodate the needs of your employees at the same time.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Carbon footprint monitoring

One of the best ways you can make sure that your building is sustainable is monitoring the carbon footprint of the building or the unit itself. When creating a green policy for your lab, set clear and measurable targets and take into consideration several areas, such as waste, noise, pollution, energy use, energy creation, recycling, and efficiency. You can get a carbon footprint monitor installed in any building; new or old.

A.I. integration

Of course, if you want to keep up with the technological improvements of the 21st century, you can’t avoid dealing with artificial intelligence and utilizing it to improve your overall efficiency. There are several AI lab software that will monitor and record experiments, so you don’t have to stay in until late, but will still get the graphs and statistics delivered to your desktop. AI can help your employees complete their work at a higher standard as well.

Energy efficiency

Green roof (Ryan Somna, Wikimedia Commons)

While monitoring your carbon footprint is a great first step, you will have to go further than that. Implement some building designs that will help you achieve your goal and reduce the impact of your lab on the living environment and the communities. You can create a living roof or install solar panels to generate your own energy. Talk to specialist roofing contractors to help you choose a modern and green technology.

Adaptable space

As your projects change, your laboratory needs to adapt to the new needs of your employees and experiments. If you have one controlled environment you have to make sure that you can change the conditions with a press of a button, or open up the room so all your researchers can work together on the same research. You will also need to have adaptive meeting rooms and office space.

Collaboration space

While there are some tasks can be outsourced, such as cleaning and equipment maintenance, you cannot replace human interaction and knowledge sharing in a modern laboratory. You should create a collaboration space where people can present their ideas, hold debates, and share their progress with the rest of the team. Every modern lab should focus on connecting workers and encouraging information sharing.

Whether you are in the pharma business or are looking to design better products for the everyday customer, it is important that you create a modern and open space for your researchers where they can be free to explore the opportunities and share their knowledge. Make sustainability and AI your priorities, and you can improve your lab’s productivity.

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