Phil Langley presents at PlaceTech's Trend Talk London

And when we talk about capitalism, we cannot ignore the name Adam Smith.

The biggest and most recurring challenge, however, is usually due to new services needing penetrations or alternative routing due to changes to client laboratory equipment.Labs need a higher air change rate than offices or other building types, which means lots of ductwork to and from the lab.

This is exacerbated if there are fume cupboards, as the discharges go to the roof and discharge vertically.The discharge stacks for these fans can be quite high, so we may have to design roof supports for flues.. One unusual issue we encountered was a vibration requirement for an X-ray machine.This is further evidence of the importance of understanding the purpose of the laboratory equipment being installed early in the lab design process..

Finally, we must be aware of how the laboratory equipment is to be delivered to the site.Some lab equipment can be extremely heavy, and the beam layout may dictate where the equipment can sit within the space.

We will also always consider how this lab equipment gets to the location in the first place, and any subsequent special requirements..

Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) requirements for lab design.Traditionally, offices in the UK are large spaces located in city centres, accommodating all staff in the same location, where connectivity and business opportunities are at hand.

This idea is already being challenged by companies who are moving towards operating smaller hubs, strategically located at walking or cycling distance from the areas where staff live, often far from the city centre.. With people having demonstrated they are able to work from home effectively (and sometimes more effectively), offices do not need to be sized to operate constantly at full occupancy.This approach is beneficial for improving sustainability and work-life balance, reduces time spent commuting and lessens corporate carbon emissions from heating, cooling and especially daily commuting, which typically accounts for the highest proportion of a company’s carbon footprint.. Bryden Wood carried out an internal carbon emissions audit, which showed that the adoption of home-working can reduce corporate emissions by 69% compared to working five days a week in the office.

This is mainly due to the reduction in emissions from Scope 3 (commuting)..The price of land, especially in cities like London, has pushed developers to build deeper and taller buildings without much space for green infrastructure.