Verastem’s design for its new headquarters in Needham was the cover story for August’s High Profile Magazine. To read the article click here. To take a closer look at the completed project click here.
-
Project Types
Author Archives: Mark Reed
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
September 11, 2014 – 10:39 pm
Renovations for the Bioengineering Institute in the Life Sciences & Bioengineering Center at WPI’s Gateway Campus. Project includes wet and dry laboratories for biological research, Bio MEMS and advanced microscopy.
Lab Expands International Work
September 11, 2014 – 10:29 pm
Lab has been engaged in the planning and conceptual design for a new high performance laboratory building at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. The new building will house interdisciplinary sciences that require highly stable, low noise laboratories.
“More You”: Trends for 2013
January 2, 2013 – 12:23 am
“More you” is the catchphrase for the launch of the Windows 8 ad campaign, and it captures a trend that has been strengthening over the last year. The ability to speedily share aspects of our lives with friends and strangers through sites like Facebook, Circles, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram allows us to define and broadcast an image of ourselves that is intended for public consumption. Our start screen, our playlists and our choice of apps makes a strong and intentional statement about who we are and how we’d like to be perceived. Here are five trends to watch for in the A/E/C industry in 2013.
More Than Research Is At Stake
November 30, 2012 – 12:18 am
The more I read and learn about the looming Fiscal Cliff, the more concerned I get for our local design and construction economy. Two weeks ago, sixteen of the presidents of leading academic institutions in the Boston area co-signed a letter to Representative Ed Markey articulating the grave impact sequestration would have on the research community. While the authors of the letter did not focus on the role of capital projects in a thriving and expansive innovation economy, it is important to understand that much of the resurgence of construction activity going on here now is directly due to that leveraged inflow of federal and private dollars.
Chilling Out in the Lab
May 24, 2012 – 12:06 am
“Let’s meet in the Chill Center” is a frequent request we hear from one of our Cambridge-based R&D clients. The “Chill Center” is a 1,500sf somewhat nondescript, cafeteria area set in the middle of an open office environment near a lab zone. Furnished only with school cafeteria style tables, a kitchenette and a bank of vending machines (all items sold for 25 cents), the Chill Center is constantly buzzing with activity as scientists and engineers work out issues of R&D, often with unsolicited commentary from adjacent work cubicles. In our experience, it is one of the mostly highly collaborative and productive work environments out there.
Trending Upward: Physics Labs
March 29, 2012 – 11:58 pm
Physicists are proud to call their field the “mother of the sciences,” and based upon our recent experience they have every right to boast. From medical device companies, laboratory equipment manufacturers, biotech startups to software development corporations, the role of physics has trended upward and is now a significant driver of laboratory design for many of our projects. This is an important new direction for lab design because the requirements for physical labs are fundamentally different from traditional life science spaces.
Due Diligence for Tenant Improvements
January 20, 2012 – 11:43 pm
One of today’s most active areas of construction lies in tenant improvements to existing buildings. Particularly in the life sciences sector, there is constant churn as companies mature and move into larger spaces to meet their growing space demands. Mark Reed talks with John Matuszewski, a principal at McNamara/Salvia structural engineers, and Andy Coull, president of JM Coull, builders from Maynard, about issues that tenants frequently overlook.
Matthew Nock: MacArthur Genius
October 19, 2011 – 7:31 am
As lab designers, we often have the chance to work with remarkable scientists. So we were thrilled, but not surprised, that one of our current clients, Prof. Matthew Nock from Harvard University’s Psychology Department, was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship (aka the “Genius Grant”) in September.
Expect More From Test-Fits
October 11, 2011 – 11:35 pm
In our practice, we’ve seen a healthy demand for test-fitting laboratory designs into new and existing buildings. In this article, we will describe how our use of BIM allows for powerful graphics and extractable information to benefit landlords, tenants, institutions and builders alike in unexpected and exciting ways.