There is a perception across the construction industry that operational carbon is more significant than embodied carbon.

A fume cupboard, for example, is only safe if it passes its face velocity tests, and that depends on the air velocity within the room.We ensure that these additional tests are specified to ensure compliance and avoid high velocity air supply grilles near fume cupboards, and we always design labs containing fume cupboards to BS 14175..

Architectural requirements for lab design.The laboratory design architect’s role does not end with laying out the laboratory equipment.It’s important to work with the client team to agree the lab furniture and necessary finishes, as there may be specific Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) requirements or chemical properties which can dictate the solution..

There are lots of specialists for lab furniture, with the lab users being a good resource for their preferred manufacturer or issues with their current furniture.Understanding what the users want the laboratory furniture for will enable us to provide the correct solution.

Often it’s just a worktop for a piece of lab equipment to sit on or for writing-up, but sometimes it’s storage or mobile benching.

For storage solutions, we will always try to find out what users plan to store in the unit, as sometimes it may require ventilation to prevent the build-up of gases.. We have had issues with the floor specification not being suitable for specific chemical spills, and even with the impact resistance for when the client installs their laboratory equipment.This is how we can free up siting opportunities, and enable very scalable, offshore siting to really come into its own.. We should also be looking to appropropriate some of the existing petrochemical supply chain, adopting its relevant skills, and the existing oil and gas infrastructure, and moving these elements into a better space.

We’ll make the adoption of new, clean fuels much more likely if we create drop-in, substitute fuels that can be produced at a comparable cost, with the same performance, as the fuels we use today, and then distribute them through the existing supply chain infrastructure.. Reducing risk as we decarbonise.In other words, we want clean energy solutions which won’t require big behavioural changes, or huge investment in associated infrastructure.

That’s how we’ll reduce risk, because such fuels won’t require the sequencing of a whole load of investments in order to make the product really work.As with the desired shift to Modern Methods of Construction in the design and construction industry, we need to address the cultural blockers to the change, and lower the barrier to entry so that it becomes both the right thing to do, and an easy thing to do.. We want the transition to cleaner technologies and fuel sources to become an irresistible, straightforward decision for investors, which means making them more profitable, and working with the grain of human behaviour.