2021 Lab Design Trends Innovations & Insights

Trends in Lab Design 2021

In the past year since the COVID-19 lockdown began, there have been many changes in the business landscape, but the laboratory space has undergone the most changes. Because of the need for a much more adaptable and flexible architecture, many new trends have come up that are directly pertaining to it.

With research becoming more hyper-focused and ever changing in its direction, it’s important to understand how these upcoming trends can help us.

In this infographic, you can a few trends that have come up in the past year. Check out part-2 here.

Trend	What has changed?
Air Quality	Initial focus used to be on preventing contamination between user and product Now, air quality control has refocused to including collaborative space under their control too Most buildings and office space have better air quality & environmental control measures Increased safety for employees in the long run
Program Shift	Remote working has increased in the past year It’s led to increased underutilized space that is now being converted into laboratory space Increased laboratory space to office space ratio
Collaborative Team Spaces	Creation of more collaborative works spaces rather than individual stations for planning Conference rooms & demonstration spaces are an integral part of laboratories now Encourages teamwork in the research & development process
Adaptability & Flexibility	The pandemic has shown how fast the scope of work in a laboratory can change It’s led to the creation of much more adaptable lab space Increase range of furniture – Modular furniture, Moveable benches, Modular equipment & ceiling utility panels (CUPs)
Need for different programming	The A/E/C industry saw an increased need for different type of storage management solutions High demand for cold storage equipment; and chemical & specialty gas distribution The focus is on creating lab-ready spaces with minimal restructuring (Lab-hoteling facilities are in-built)

Source: Ladd, C. (2021, February 19).

Kewaunee International Group

Kewaunee, the global leader in total laboratory solutions, empowers organisations to achieve competitive advantage through safe, efficient, and contemporary laboratories. In existence since 1906, Kewaunee powers the laboratories for over 5,000 customers in more than 100 countries.