Energy Efficiency and Laboratory Adjacency
Eliminating cross-contamination between laboratories is a primary consideration in designing safe and productive laboratory facilities. Energy efficiency can be accomplished with a design concept that includes modular degrees of isolation for the required controlled environments. Laboratories that contain individual processing rooms can modulate the isolation pressures more accurately, increasing both energy efficiency and safety. By designing the facility with multiple degrees of isolation, several processes can be maintained concurrently. [Bossert et al., 1994]
According to Cooper (1994):
The pace of discovery and the potential hazards of research have dictated that sophisticated mechanical and electrical systems and services are available to create pleasant, productive, and safe environments for scientific inquiry. It is not unusual for the building volume devoted to systems and services to exceed the usable, or served spaces.
