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Laboratory Design Guide-pages-37

The document outlines the critical environmental requirements for laboratory design, emphasizing the need for careful consideration of temperature, humidity, and air recirculation. It highlights that some laboratories require 100% fresh air to avoid contamination, which can significantly increase costs. Additionally, it discusses the importance of selecting appropriate fume cupboard manufacturers and understanding their impact on air conditioning design and costs.

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Divesh Kandhye
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5 views

Laboratory Design Guide-pages-37

The document outlines the critical environmental requirements for laboratory design, emphasizing the need for careful consideration of temperature, humidity, and air recirculation. It highlights that some laboratories require 100% fresh air to avoid contamination, which can significantly increase costs. Additionally, it discusses the importance of selecting appropriate fume cupboard manufacturers and understanding their impact on air conditioning design and costs.

Uploaded by

Divesh Kandhye
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1.

9 Work environment
Probably more important than for any other work area, the laboratory has special
environmental requirements which need to be carefully considered at the design brief stage.
The high costs associated with providing the ideal environment can be reduced if there is a
passive energy building design philosophy.Your brief, however, is not going to provide the
design solution but you should express your views on the subject.
The brief should list your requirements in terms of temperature and variation limits,
humidity control and, most important, the percentage of recirculated air. Some laboratories
cannot tolerate any recirculated air and require 100% fresh air. Your requirements for
temperature and humidity will be relatively easy to accommodate but if you require
100% fresh air, because you cannot tolerate air returning to the laboratory through the
system, this will add greatly to the project costs and should be carefully considered. The
reasons for not recirculating air are generally to avoid accumulating hazardous airborne
contaminants or to avoid cross-contamination.
You may also have hot and cold rooms, in which case you will specify the temperature and
humidity ranges required.
The mechanical engineering consultant designing your ventilation systems will have
to calculate the total heat load generated by the laboratory equipment. The heat load is
available from the supplier of the equipment.
Another important factor affecting the design of the air conditioning is the quantity, type
and estimated frequency of use of fume cupboards. If the fume cupboard manufacturer
is selected during the preparation of the design brief, the mechanical engineering
consultant will be given the best information to work on. In selecting the manufacturer
you should consider quality, performance, energy saving and compliance with the fume
cupboard standards. If you decide to have recirculatory filtration fume cupboards to
protect the environment, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save energy it is all the
more important to select your fume cupboard manufacturer carefully. Under most
standards, users have to complete a questionnaire so that the manufacturer can select
the filters and ‘scrubbing’ to provide zero emission.The mechanical engineer will also
need to know if recirculatory fume cupboards are selected as he will not have to
provide the ‘balance’ air which otherwise would be extracted by the fume cupboard
and ducted to the exhaust stacks.The air-conditioning costs are substantially reduced.
See Case study 32 for the best example.

1.10 Staff facilities


Unlike other work environments the laboratory is a potentially hazardous area, but in a
well-managed and well-designed facility hazards can be kept under control.
Regulations and standards for occupational health and safety cover the laboratory work
place quite thoroughly and the design team will necessarily have to be conversant with all

12 Laboratory Design Guide

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