Awards
InBusiness Commercial Design Awards
Industrial Development or Renovation
2009
International Interior Design Association (IIDA) WI Awards
Educational/Institutional
2009
Objective:
Expansive Experience
LabCorp is one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive drug development services companies. Strang collaborated with LabCorp, to design a two-section expansion after the company experienced rapid growth in its toxicology, agricultural and pharmaceutical chemistry departments. Strang has completed more than one million square feet of new buildings, additions, and renovations at their Madison campus. These renovations and addition sought to completely transform a bunker-like structure into an exciting, contemporary facility while boosting corporate performance.
LabCorp’s key design objectives were to:
- Create an exciting, new corporate image in front of the original concrete, bunker-like structure
- Provide a more comfortable, productive work environment in the laboratories and offices
- Improve existing circulation systems to enhance workflow
- Increase laboratory capacity and quality to better serve an expanding client base
- Establish a new entry specifically for clients, and provide additional security for the entire facility
The largest design challenge was to plan, design, and implement additions and expansions with minimal impact on LabCorp’s operations. Maintaining operations during construction was paramount to the project’s success.
SOLUTION:
State-Of-The-Art Support
This project created 70,000 SF feet of new laboratory space and associated support facilities. The southern section of the expansion includes administrative offices, marketing, client services, and additional conference capacity, as well as a high-tech training room with state-of-the-art technology. The expansion also provides 35,000 SF of shelled space for future growth.
This project also involved renovating approximately 10,000 SF of existing office and locker room spaces, into a dedicated BSL-2 vivarium suite. New additions included vivarium rooms, necropsy room, tissue culture lab, sample processing, clinical treatment space, vet operations room, surgery suite, decontaminations room, and support spaces. The project also involves MEP system upgrades, HEPA filtration, an animal water system, and an effluent treatment system.
Functional Flow
On a functional level, the design efficiently organizes the space and boosts user performance. The sizeable new laboratory space is conveniently located near existing labs and is rectangular for maximum flexibility. Laboratories are organized around a shared service core with direct access to storage and loading dock functions. An open, modular laboratory environment accommodates growth, supports collaboration and teamwork, and enhances overall workflow and efficiency. Because the open laboratory office zone is located at the perimeter of the facility, scientists enjoy ample natural daylighting in offices and laboratories.
Laboratory functions include sample processing, vitamin chemistry, proximate chemistry, inorganic chemistry, agro-sciences, microbiological vitamins, ICPMS, flame AA, GCMS, and HPCC suites. These flexible labs can be easily modified to allow room for growth and different types of research.
Scientist’s offices are located outside, adjacent to the labs to provide a comfortable and safe work environment. The facility includes a corporate seminar training space, a computer laboratory, cafeteria, and breakout space. A glass-enclosed circulation spine solves traffic flow problems and encourages employee interaction.
Unified Composition
The building is divided into an open office wing and a laboratory wing. The new, elongated office area stretches across the front of the existing structure, creating an entirely new image for the building and establishing a north-south circulation spine.
The organization of the expansive façade pulls daylight through the glass into the building, while the solid pre-cast concrete elements unify the entire composition and create a solid, world-class image. The design incorporates a subtle curve to address the length of this building component and breathes life into the structure. Metal panels showcase that curve, creating a seamless, sleek exterior image.
The interior office area consolidates client support services around a welcoming lobby space. Surrounding centrally located offices with administrative staff reinforces interdepartmental collaboration. Glass on the offices affords views to the outside and natural daylight to enter, while natural daylight enters the interior offices through zones of open office cubicles.
Overall, the LabCorp project demonstrates how imagination and creativity can completely transform a building and resolve programmatic challenges. This addition completely transformed the original Cold War image of the building, unified the site, and resolved circulation problems that were inherent to the site.
