Setting up and designing your own laboratory can be a lengthy process. If you are not prepared for the journey ahead, it can also be expensive, especially if this is your first project. To avoid potential pitfalls, you need to think about a number of essential elements. The sooner you figure out an answer to these questions, the quicker you can set up your laboratory. Here are # crucial things to think about in the set up.
Where Your Laboratory Will Be Located
One of the first questions you have to answer is where will this new laboratory be located. Is it going to be located near to where you live – is this affordable, and are the transport links good? Or are you looking at locations in other cities or even another country due to being more affordable and offering better transportation links? When thinking about the location, try to think about where your customers and clients will be, especially if you will be running trials. A central location that is easily accessible will be preferable to a cheap location that is hard to find and reach.
Size of Premises
Is there a minimum size required for your laboratory? Do you have to have a minimum size in place for the research you will be carrying out? Also, think about the size of the premises in terms of safety. If there is no room for movement from staff or visitors, then this could raise the risk of accidents and unsafe working conditions. When you are looking at the size of the premises you need, try and think about who will be working on-site and for how long. Think about a fully operational site, and give each employee or member of staff a minimum and maximum required space to carry out their duties.
Ventilation and Safety
Once you have selected a location and you have thought about the size of the premises, you then need to consider safety and ventilation. All laboratories will need good ventilation in place, especially if you are going to be handling animal care or in vivo testing with mice or an SRG rat. If adequate ventilation is not in place, there will be risks to the animals on-site and to the staff as well. There are natural air ventilation systems (and controlled ventilation systems) that can be installed, and these should be looked at before the final fitting is carried out.
Site Layout
How a laboratory is laid out will have an impact on how well it functions and performs. Creating a workable layout requires plenty of thought into the overall design and thinking around roles or functions. It also means designing laboratories so that every inch of space has a purpose and use. In smaller spaces, the site layout has to be accurate, again down to safety protocols and concerns. You want to get this right the first time, as it would be costly to redo the space. When you have established a site layout, you can then start sourcing suitable storage and testing equipment that will fit into your premises.
