Is your facility healthy?

By Norman Fisher – Director, Architecture IPS-Integrated Project Services, ULC

A QUIET REVOLUTION IS UNDERWAY IN SCIENCE FACILITIES, subtly shaping how researchers and the environment coexist. With LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and WELL (WELL Building Standard) as guides, the focus is on balance.

Amidst this transformation, practical choices speak volumes. Simple things like natural light, comfortable workstations, and peaceful corners significantly reduce stress and improved research outcomes. Lighting, ventilation, and noise control are carefully orchestrated to boost productivity.

Open spaces encourage collaboration, blurring disciplinary lines. Sustainable materials and energyefficient systems are seamlessly integrated, reflecting a mindful approach. Innovations emerge, demonstrating a harmonious fusion of function and sustainability.

These spaces, designed with purpose, attracted both talent and funding, highlighting the mutual benefits of human and environmental well-being. Adaptability was vital, ensuring these spaces evolved with changing needs.

In this narrative of subtlety, science and sustainability can find common ground, paving the way for a future where progress harmonized with the world around us. By creating a conducive and sustainable environment, these facilities can attract top talent, secure funding, drive innovation, and deliver better outcomes in scientific research and sustainable practices.