| The demands on research and development in all scientific fields get more and
more exacting with each passing year. That means that modernization of existing laboratories is an ongoing process. Tasks performed in laboratories
and procedures change over time. New methods of research and theory as well
as in development and quality control are constantly being introduced. These
changes require the adjustment of existing apparatuses and the acquisition of
new instruments.
In many cases, laboratory equipment can not be adjusted to the new
procedures, making the construction of new laboratories inevitable. Sometimes,
old laboratories are renovated to meet the new demands. Generally, though, a
brand-new laboratory is built after an architects' competition is
held.
The quality of these new laboratory buildings is judged according to the interior
which should be designed for the future on the basis of well thought-out,
functional procedures with a logical configuration of useful laboratory space
along with side rooms and special rooms. This requires professional laboratory
planning. Such planning includes both the equipment and the entire laboratory
environment. Professional engineering services for laboratory planning fulfill
these requirements for constructing functional laboratories.
Planning work for laboratory buildings is now centering more and more on the
planning of technical laboratory equipment and the structural constraints they
represent. This is more than just a recognized and necessary engineering
service over and above the work performed by architects and professional
planners for plumbing, heating, electrical and ventilation systems. It is an
indispensable basis for their planning work. It also has a considerable affect on
building plans.
Professional laboratory planning begins by considering the needs of users to
adapt their new or renovated laboratory to new procedures, meaning a change
in the way they work and the scope of that work. Laboratory planners should
already be included in this stage of the planning process so they can determine the basic requirements to begin planning work for that specific field
independent of any companies.
Please refer to the figure "Flow Chart - Optimal Laboratory Planning" for more
details on this process.
The individual planning stages are carried out according to the service profile of
equipment planning for laboratory and other building equipment (Service Phase
1-9). To prevent any basic planning errors from occurring in the initial phase, the
most essential basic planning rules are combined into a guideline according to
Structural Designs and Technical Equipment from the laboratory planner's point
of view, based on German Industry Standard 276 (DIN 276).
Of course, this limits the architect's and specialists' scope of responsibility for
the services they perform in accordance with the German ordinance governing
professional fees for architects and engineers (known as "HOAI" or "Honorarordnung für Architekten und Ingenieure").
Even before those involved in planning start their work, it makes sense for users
to create specifications with the following general information:
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