Changing Spaces

We’ve written at length about the space inventory issues coming out of the pandemic. In a nutshell, many buildings won’t be returning to “normal,” and there is potential for an over inventory of space that may take several years to work through.

In one example, Unilever, the giant consumer goods company and makers of such iconic brands as Dove® Soap and Lipton® Tea, is reconsidering its entire real-estate portfolio in light of operations after the pandemic. In a Forbes article, the company’s CEO, Alan Jope, said, “We anticipate never going back to five days a week in the office. That seems very old fashioned now.” The article goes on to say, “That’s over 150,000 Unilever workers worldwide [who] will never be going back to the office full-time.”

COVID-19 accelerated the conversion to telecommuting … who needs to “go into the office” when the “office” is a video call away? So, with more buildings than needed, office space planning and building use will likely change in the coming years. A theme we’re hearing a lot is: convert and re-purpose.

One suggestion is to convert offices into lab space. An article in the March/April 2021 issue of Building Design + Construction magazine, authors Leonora Georgeoglou and Dan Ringler lay out a helpful checklist of issues to consider when converting offices to labs. They write:

“One of the largest trends that is changing the face of real estate is the country’s increasing demand for life sciences and laboratory space. A recent article from Bloomberg noted this increased demand for lab space, pointing to “billions of dollars in institutional investment” that signals a huge shift in how we provide life science space and where.

The opportunity to absorb this new lab space demand has fallen into the lap of office building owners. With much of the nation still working from home, we have all grown very comfortable with the possibility of the long-term reduction of traditional office space. As a result, this rise in lab demand has a potentially significant intersection with the timing of office vacancies.”

Here are Georgeoglou and Ringler’s 8 Tips for Converting Office Buildings to Life Sciences Laboratory Spaces:

1. Building Infrastructure – consider capacities for electrical, back-up generators, water and sewer.
2. Floor-to-floor height – since plumbing and wiring often run behind dropped ceilings, a 16-to-17-foot height between floors is ideal for labs facilities.
3. Space Planning – column spacing comes into play. Spacing at 22', 33' or 44' offers the most flexibility for lab bays.
4. Roof Condition and Capacity – since additional roof-mounted HVAC and air handling equipment may be needed, the roof’s structural capacity will need to be rated.
5. Insulation – lab equipment and test procedures are temperature sensitive. How well is the building currently insulated?
6. Shipping & Loading Zones – both inbound and outbound shipping capacity needs to accommodate lab operations.
7. Overall Structural Capacity – both floor condition and capacity should be considered when looking at the lab’s various equipment loads. Capacity of 125-150 lbs. per sq. ft. is ideal.
8. Mechanical complexity – for labs, standard mechanical systems may include: air vacuum systems, reverse osmosis skids, liquid nitrogen lines, and bulk liquid provision.

As the nation’s leader in interior architectural products, we’re familiar with mitigating the wear and tear of lab operations, as well as the need for clean. Here are three Inpro products designed for lab operations.

Sani-System™ Heavy Duty Wall Protection

Sani-Base™ Stainless Steel Wall Base

Waterproofing starts with a solid foundation. The patented design of Sani-Base™ makes it the only complete waterproof transition from floor to wall*. The base is compatible with a variety of flooring types, and is built to eliminate failure points.

Sani-Surface™ Hygienic Wall Cladding

New industrial-strength, fiberglass-free wall cladding offers high impact resistance, is Class A fire rated, and is thermally stable to handle a wide range of temperatures and moisture fluctuations. Field fabrication is sped up because the Sani-Surface material is easily cut and don’t produce the harmful dust associated with fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) fabrication. And unlike other more-complex systems, the Sani-Series wall system does not require costly specialty installers.

Stainless Steel Products

Whether it be wall panels, corner guards, kickplates, or even elevator interiors, stainless steel provides industrial strength and a modern, sleek look. The hygienic nature of stainless steel makes it easy-to-clean.

Loading Dock and Service Area Products

Loading docks and service corridors take a lot of high-impact abuse from carts, dollies, equipment and other moving traffic. Inpro Door + Wall Protection products are specifically designed to absorb and deflect heavy impact from anything that gets thrown at them.