To begin the series, Eugene Sayers, partner at Sheppard Robson, writes about the convergence of labs and office spaces and the innovation that comes out of it.

Life sciences are front-page news: government investment wants to cement the UK’s position as a science “superpower” while much-publicised vaccine development is still fresh in our minds. The result is a sector that is now a greater part of the national consciousness and a burgeoning sector for the built environment. With increased focus comes greater interest, sparking innovation in how spaces for science are designed, how they perform, and how they support an organisation’s culture.

10 years ago, laboratory facilities and offices would have most likely been separate from one another, even to the extent of creating ‘tribes’ within a company between the scientific and non-scientific workforce. 

Reinforcing this feeling of separation would be the spaces themselves, with varying levels of investment, character and quality. The scientific facilities would focus on creating technically excellent spaces, while the general workplaces – receptions, boardrooms, atria – would concentrate on expressing the corporate identity and culture of an organisation. 

Fast-forward to today, and developments are bringing precise spaces for science and agile workplaces together in new ways to instil a feeling of collective endeavour and to spark innovation within companies.

In our recent designs for tech and science HQs, we are seeing the creation of more open labs that co-locate agile workplaces and spaces for research on the same floorplate. The creation of “open” labs allows everyone in the company to see and be part of the scientific process; for example, marketing, finance, HR and accounts are now closer to the activity and products that are at the heart of their business. This also impacts how companies engage their clients: rather than just seeing the inside of a boardroom, clients can now see into the more technical spaces and get an insight into the spirit of discovery. 

Even highly controlled environments are being designed to feel like part of the general workplace, further instilling a feeling of collective identity. These highly serviced spaces are now located in the same building as everyone else, sharing the same amenities to create a “one team” dynamic. This access to improved gyms, food offerings, and outdoor spaces also aids in attracting the best minds from around the world. It’s now not enough to have the right spaces for science; these need to be supported with enhanced amenities that give a facility its magnetic quality. 

But what does the occupier or developer need to consider when breaking down barriers between the different workspaces to promote the interchange of ideas? At the heart of the issue is creating visual and physical permeability, with the development’s design approach encouraging interaction. For example, we have created floorplates for a major consumer brand that interlock labs and a range of agile workspaces set around a central atrium. Permeability was prioritised by moving circulation cores to the perimeter, allowing these different types of workspaces to flow into one another. 

But does openness lead to innovation? It is tempting to make sweeping claims about the inner workings of scientific discovery to justify design choices; however, there is increasing realisation that innovation often happens in the space where disciplines meet rather than in discrete cells, making it incumbent on buildings to choreograph and encourage interaction. 

Some innovative companies are pushing this openness and flexibility to its limits. We have found that spaces for science need to cater to continuous change. Our recent design for a leading tech company’s HQ created a ‘plug and play’ building formed of a series of modular squares, with each component either an open or closed lab, flexible workplace, or amenity space. This new model debunks the idea of fixed and isolated labs, creating the potential for an ever-changing environment.

The aforementioned project is an outlier, with a design shaped to the specific culture and work of an organisation. However, it does show a willingness for leaders in the field to totally redefine the relationship between lab and workplace, applying the spirit of scientific discovery to rethinking the design of science-led workplaces.