Designing Lab Spaces Around People, Precision and Performance

A laboratory is not just a technical room. It is a working space where people, furniture, materials, air movement, utilities and safety systems come together every day. At Kewaunee, designing lab spaces starts with clear planning, practical layouts and systems which support safe daily operations.

Every project has a different purpose, from pharmaceutical R&D and biotechnology to education, healthcare, testing and industrial research. That is why every laboratory needs a plan built around safety, workflow, utilities, furniture and future growth.

Kewaunee brings together laboratory planning, furniture, safety systems and turnkey services.Its industry 4.0 tools create laboratories which are practical from the first day of use.

Start with the People Who Use the Lab

A successful laboratory begins before construction starts. Kewaunee’s laboratory design guidelines highlight the importance of involving all stakeholders during the planning stage. This includes lab owners, designers, users, lab managers, faculty, maintenance teams and Environment, Health & Safety personnel.

This early involvement helps the project team understand

How users move inside the laboratory
What furniture will be used
Where chemicals and materials need to be stored
How much workspace is required
What safety risks must be controlled
Which utilities and services need to be planned

When designing lab spaces, these inputs help avoid layouts which may look good on paper but fail during daily operations.

Understand the Space Before Planning the Layout

Kewaunee emphasizes physical site visits as an important step in laboratory planning. The space must be understood clearly before decisions are made about furniture, ventilation, storage or utilities.

A site visit helps planners identify available space, movement patterns, service access, structural limitations and possible workflow challenges. It also helps designers and lab managers understand how the room will actually function once the lab becomes active.

This step is especially important for existing lab upgrades, where the design must work around present infrastructure while improving safety, performance and usability.

Create Dedicated Zones for Better Workflow

A laboratory becomes more efficient when every activity has a clear place. Kewaunee's planning approach includes dedicated spaces for furniture, chemical storage, electrical systems, user movement, seating areas, workstations and support functions.

This zoning helps reduce overlap between people, materials and processes. It also supports better compliance and smoother day to day work.

Important zones may include:

Workbench and experiment areas
Chemical storage zones
Furniture placement areas
Fume hood and ventilation zones
User movement pathways
Wash and sink areas
Electrical and service points
Safety and emergency access areas

While designing lab layouts, Kewaunee aligns these zones with real user needs, not just available floor area.

Furniture That Supports Real Laboratory Work

Laboratory furniture has to do more than fill a room. It must handle chemical exposure, furniture loads, regular cleaning and years of daily use. Kewaunee offers modular workstations, casework, work surfaces, sinks, fixtures, fittings and adaptable furniture systems.

Materials for Different Applications

Kewaunee provides material options such as steel, wood, stainless steel, laminate, epoxy resin, phenolic resin, ESD laminate and polypropylene. These choices help match the furniture to the type of work being carried out in the lab.

Flexibility for Changing Needs

Modern laboratories often need to adapt as research, furniture or teaching requirements change. Kewaunee's adaptable systems, including Alpha, Evolution and Enterprise, support reconfiguration and long-term usability.

Use Digital Tools to Reduce Guesswork

Modern laboratory planning becomes clearer when teams can see, test and review key details before construction begins. Kewaunee uses digital tools to support better planning, coordination and project control.

Key digital tools include:

3D BIM to visualize the laboratory layout before construction and identify possible design conflicts early.
CFD lab airflow design to study airflow movement, ventilation performance and air quality inside the lab.
Ethos Cloud Design to support cloud based lab planning, product selection, interactive 3D design and collaboration.
Digital twins to create a virtual model of the laboratory and support simulation, diagnostics and performance planning.
AR/VR visualization to help stakeholders experience the lab design and review the space before construction.
KI SMART project management to provide better project visibility, coordination and progress tracking.

These tools help reduce guesswork during planning and give teams more confidence before the project moves into execution.

Laboratories for Different Industries

Kewaunee designs laboratory spaces for a wide range of industries, including:

Pharmaceuticals with controlled workflows and compliant systems.
Biotechnology with scalable layouts and biosafety support.
Healthcare with safe, efficient spaces for clinical and diagnostic work.
Educational laboratories with durable surfaces, ventilation and safety systems.
Electronics labs with layouts to support precision and technical workflows.
Food and beverage labs with flexible spaces for testing and quality control.
Fragrance, marine research, industrial testing and R&D labs with solutions planned around specific operational needs.

Each sector works differently, so Kewaunee plans every laboratory around how its people actually use the space.

Create a Safer, Future Ready Laboratory with Kewaunee

A well planned laboratory supports safer movement, smoother workflows, reliable furniture placement and future flexibility. Kewaunee brings together planning, engineering, furniture manufacturing, safety products, turnkey execution, managed services and digital tools to create laboratories which are ready for real work.

For organizations designing lab spaces for research, education, healthcare, testing or industrial use, Kewaunee offers the experience and systems needed to create a safe, efficient and future ready environment.

Ready to design a laboratory where safety, workflow and performance work together?

Contact Kewaunee Today

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why is stakeholder input important in laboratory planning?

Stakeholder input helps the design team understand real user needs. These helps in furniture placement, safety requirements, maintenance access and workflow before construction begins.

2. Can Kewaunee support both new laboratories and upgrades?

Yes. Kewaunee supports brand new laboratories as well as remodeling of existing labs through planning, design, turnkey execution, installation, validation and commissioning support.

3. What safety systems does Kewaunee provide?

Kewaunee provides fume hoods, biosafety cabinets, laminar flow cabinets, safety cabinets, local exhaust ventilation, emergency showers, eyewash systems and other safety solutions.

4. Does Kewaunee offer turnkey laboratory services?

Yes. Kewaunee offers end to end turnkey laboratory services. It includes lab planning, design, engineering, construction support, installation, validation, commissioning and handover.

5. Can Kewaunee help with laboratory planning before construction begins?

Yes. Kewaunee supports early laboratory planning through stakeholder input, space study, equipment planning, control area identification and utility coordination.