Flexible design of laboratories

Jörg Unterweger

It is a striking feature of today’s laboratories that their furniture is very modern and attractively designed. However, in some cases the laboratory staff do not feel comfortable because the laboratory layout does not suit their working practices. Opinion polls taken of users offer a clear indication that modern furniture design is too rigid and inflexible. From comparisons of many of today’s laboratory layouts it is evident that there has been little change in design over the past 50 years.

Modern equipment, the various disciplines within laboratories and the scientists and support staff who work there create a complex structure of which human beings are the focal point. Their physiological and psychological requirements have to be examined first of all. Only then is it possible to take a closer look at the workplace, the laboratory and finally the building itself. Planning must thus begin on the inside and progress towards the outside. It must be remembered that in laboratories constantly changing tasks are the rule and not the exception. The most obvious conclusion to be drawn is the need for adaptable, interchangeable furnishing systems.

Due to the division of services supply and furniture design, the mc6 laboratory system offers exceptional flexibility and a functional, creative layout for both the workplace and the laboratory. Thanks to the modular construction of the mc6 system, all the equipment – not just the reagent shelves and instrument racks – can be repositioned on the laboratory workbenches. It is also possible to modify the services and electrical outlets. If, for example, sockets cannot be operated efficiently due to the position of a new instrument, the laboratory staff can easily dismantle an electrical module with a 240 V socket-outlet and reintegrate it at another point on the workbench. This means that a test set-up is more economical, since work procedures are optimised, and that it no longer has to be dependent on the where-abouts of the various energy supply sources. This laboratory system is therefore suitable for all types of applications.

A versatile and flexible layout can be achieved by providing the mechanical and electrical services via a service distribution terminal (service wing) installed in the laboratory. The workbenches, instrument racks and analysis workplaces under the service wing can be arranged according to the current work process. Their services are supplied via service distribution terminals mounted on any workbench or rack. The service wing is connected to the service distribution terminal via flexible pipes laid inside a service beam. It is however also possible to directly equip the central area of a laboratory entirely with flexible, mobile laboratory workbenches, instrument racks and the like. Stationary elements such as fume cupboards, extract cabinets or sink units are located on the wall with direct connections to the service ducts.

Waldner Laboreinrichtungen

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Further information cpp-280