R&D Announces Labs of the Year

Labs of the year have been announced by our sister publication, R&D Magazine. The big winner is Stanford University's James H. Clark Center. The $146 million, 76,000-sq.-ft. lab is described by R&D editors as "the culmination of innovative solutions and reworked definitions that lead to a living design experiment."

The driving force behind the project is the university's Bio-X committee, which is committed to the concept of "building new alliances in science by providing workspace that is flexible, inviting and by its very design, provocative."

The three-winged facility, according to R&D, is a complete departure from traditional modular laboratories, as its lack of interior walls and expansive use of windows defy the lab paradigm.

The design, by MBT architects, San Francisco, and Foster and Partners, London, turned the building inside out by placing enclosed labs and building support on the outside while maintaining large interconnecting interiors.

Taking home R&D's Renovated Lab of the Year award was Dreyfus Chemistry Laboratories at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Originally designed by I.M. Pei, 30 years of chemistry research advances meant the need for a complete interior overhaul, including better daylighting and HVAC—the latter the result of fume hoods that were increased in length by 40%.

The architect/lab designer was Goody, Clancy & Assocs., Boston. Cosentini Assocs., New York, served as the project's M/E engineer.

Garnering High Honors were the California Institute of Technology's Broad Center and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's new laboratory/district office in Irvine.

The R&D competition's judges noted the Caltech facility truly takes into account everything a researcher could ask for. "Not only are all the lab tools close at hand, but the amenities to make long research days and nights [tolerable] are provided as well."

Pei Cobb Freed Partners, New York, was the design architect, with A/E services by the SmithGroup, Detroit.

The FDA's project involved consolidating two divisions into one facility under a tight budget. Judges noted a well executed plan based on linking interchangeable modules in a tripartite organization. Aside from its functionality, the judges also noted that the modularity theme carried through into office spaces creating a rather avant-garde environment that gave people an interesting place in which to work.

The $40-million lab was a joint venture between Zimmer Gunsul Franca Partnership, Los Angeles, and HDR, Omaha.

Earning a special mention was the San Mateo County Sheriff's Forensic Lab.

For the full story visit www.rdmag.com.