You create some of the safest places in the world. How do you stay ahead of the needs and requirements in this sector?

This goes back to the evolution over innovation approach. We take what worked on the last lab, consider what’s changed and decide what can we do better, constantly striving for incremental improvements. We think about our prior projects as mockups for the current project, with the intention that this project will set a new standard as the best lab in the world. However, we don’t shun innovation. We often try approaches that have never been done before. We do prototype and test to reach a 100 percent solution before we implement, as human safety is paramount.

For example, take our project with the National Institute of Health at Fort Detrick, Maryland, where they had a clinical-based approach to studying select agents. One of the unique project requirements was placement of imaging equipment inside a high containment lab. To meet that request without compromising the lab’s integrity or going over budget, our team instead developed a polycarbonate tube mounted through the containment barrier that allowed the subject to remain in containment and allowed the imaging equipment to be kept outside of containment. Working closely with the manufacturer, the WSP lab team designed a tube that is solid, durable, unbreakable and contained, while still allowing the precise imaging required to meet the goals of the client. It was a new solution that was rigorously tested, with human safety at its core.

What’s the most useful tool in your daily design practice?

The most useful tool in lab planning and design is communication. Listening and advising. When you work with scientists, you must understand what they do so that you can confidently communicate with them on their level. We also need to grasp what’s unique about their work so that we can adapt our approaches and design that next best lab. Once we have that understanding, as global experts, we take our accumulated specialty knowledge and guide them to solutions. We cannot design a successful facility without deep listening and strong communication.

What advice would you give designers interested in this work?

What I’ve learned over my career is that setting goals allows you to design your own career path. Early on, I didn’t love the projects I was on, but I kept advocating for science projects and finally achieved that, then dedicated time to developing an expertise. I’ve been fortunate to find great opportunities for exciting work within WSP and now, as we build the Science and Technology team, I look for designers interested in science, details, communication and complex problem solving. I know these young architects and engineers will move the bar higher as they go, evolving lab design even further.