team, to automate the design process..

The users will often be able to help with the specification of finishes, but typically wipe-down surfaces are suitable for most applications..When it comes to lab sinks, it is important to determine what the lab sink is for before selecting a standard unit.

Metal sinks are often not suitable for chemical discharge, and an epoxy or other material lab sink should be selected.Non-standard sinks come in non-standard sizes, and large lab sinks need to be supported due to the potential for a large mass of water within.As well as splashbacks, there should be no gaps between lab furniture and lab sinks as dirt can accumulate.

The aim is to ensure there’s no surface that can’t be easily reached for cleaning.. Ceilings in labs can help reduce the surfaces for dust to settle on, such as the various high-level services.The counterargument to this is that the ceiling itself is one large dust trap.

In our experience, the ceiling type is dictated by the services; a ceiling can provide a plenum for air distribution at very low air velocity to the room, which is good for labs with a high air change rate, but it can also limit the space for service crossovers and distribution.. One final note is that the colour scheme of a lab can have a big effect on the users, not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also for safety reasons.

Making walkways a contrasting colour to work areas can help with circulation around the lab, plus help prevent busy scientists from walking into worktops and dropping samples or chemicals..The social impact of developments on communities and the way they are designed are gaining traction as key metrics in UK government policy.

Although not specifically intended to apply to the design of buildings and places, the Social Value Act (Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012) requires those who commission services to consider how wider social, economic, and environmental benefits can be secured, indicating an increased recognition of the importance of social value in the UK.RIBA has recently published the Social Value Toolkit for Architecture, developed in partnership between the University of Reading and the London-based Research Practice Leads, as an attempt to establish a common methodology for measuring the monetisation of social value through calculating the social return on investment.

This is intended as a starting point for use by practitioners in the industry to understand and embed social value in architectural practice.A central recommendation is an attempt to increase the prevalence of post-occupancy evaluations conducted by architects, to enable mapping of intangible impacts such as social value.