Community Forum – Shared vs. Individual Space Labs

How do you handle shared vs. individual space in labs?

In a recent discussion on a laboratory expansion project, questions were raised regarding use of shared space vs. individual space. Your thoughts/experience on the following would be most helpful:

1. What are the best practices in new laboratory design with regards to planning the amount of space per person?
2. How do you think about the use of shared laboratory space vs. individual laboratory space?
3. Labs with chemical fume hoods can be one of the more expensive additions. Do you have guidelines for when chemical hoods are individually assigned vs. a shared resource?

– Jeff Lane, Milliken & Company

Community Responses

David Kashdan, IRI Emeritus Member
In general, scientists require space of their own to do their own work. Let’s call this personal work space. There is also a need for people with common skills to have shared space for equipment that they share, and for preparation of purified materials (i.e., solvents) that are shared by a number of scientists. The ratio between personal and shared spaces is highly dependent on the kind of work being performed. I would wager a guess that the folks in the best position to decide on the ratio would be the people who will be working in the lab.

As an example, organic chemists generally require a well sized lab bench with cabinets (10-15 feet long) plus a fume hood of their own, in addition to a shared bench and hood for each 2-4 chemists for common equipment and solvent distillations. On the other hand, an analytical lab might require a much larger ratio of common to personal space, because of the need to house more varied and elaborate equipment that would be shared by various chemists.

Each professional should have a private office area attached to the lab. Technicians are often afforded desk space inside the lab. The justification for office space for the professional includes: the need to meet with people they supervise in private; they are often involved in telephone communication with others, and labs can be noisy and distracting; part of their job includes study and literature review and this is best done in a quieter, private environment. If there are a number of technicians working in close proximity, it is desirable to provide them at least a common office area they can share on those occasions when they need to make a quiet phone call or need a quiet place for study or writing.

–

Bill Phillips, Eastman Chemical
We have not yet implemented open or collaborative spaces, but have two projects underway that will do so.  These are groups other than lab chemists & technicians.
Labs and hoods are assigned to groups and they manage their use among group members.

–