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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteChoose by comparing a new build, adaptation, an addition, and any practical hybrid against the same research program, lifecycle costs, schedule, disruption, performance needs, and useful life. Start with predesign: define what the laboratory must do, then have qualified professionals test whether the existing building can support it. Renovation is not automatically cheaper or faster; hidden conditions, code and infrastructure work, phasing, and research disruption can change the equation. A new build may fit the program better, but it also brings land, site, utility, and delivery costs.
Start with the research program, not the building
Before deciding whether to renovate or build, define the work the laboratory must support now and over its expected life. A facilities program should describe research activities, capacity, equipment, environmental and safety requirements, support spaces, adjacencies, and the flexibility researchers will need as methods change. The clearer this program is, the more meaningfully teams can test whether an existing building is suitable for laboratory use.
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Describe not only rooms and floor area, but the relationships among activities: what needs to be close together, what requires support space, and what environmental or safety conditions apply. Identify equipment and services that influence building requirements, along with anticipated capacity and possible changes in the research program. These are questions to resolve in planning, not assumptions to leave until after a preferred building option has been selected.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteCoordinate that program with the institution’s master plan. The National Research Council recommends establishing the master plan and facilities program before building design and site selection. That order helps prevent a convenient building or available site from defining a laboratory that cannot support the work. It also makes alternatives easier to assess against institutional priorities, including effects on other users and the potential for future expansion.
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Predesign is the stage for setting scope and budget, assessing existing conditions, developing alternatives, and preparing preliminary cost estimates. It is more than a visual walkthrough: the choice depends on technical information about the building and the institution’s needs. Treat predesign as the point at which the institution turns its research requirements into testable options, rather than as a quick check after a decision has effectively been made.
Test whether the existing building can work
Commission an existing-conditions and feasibility review by professionals experienced in laboratory projects. Include facilities operations and environmental health and safety staff alongside architecture and engineering. Assess both the building and the site, because a structure that looks adaptable may still lack the capacity, clearances, or services a laboratory requires.
The review should establish what is known, what needs further investigation, and what the findings could mean for scope, cost, and schedule. An early assessment does not itself establish that a building is compliant or suitable; it should identify technical constraints and the investigations needed to develop credible alternatives. Keep the review tied to the proposed research use, since requirements depend on the activity and jurisdiction.
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- Structure and geometry: Review structural capacity, floor-to-floor conditions, and whether the existing layout can accommodate equipment, service routes, and workable adjacencies. Existing geometry may constrain the layout even where the building can physically be renovated.
- Codes and approvals: Identify applicable building, safety, environmental, and laboratory requirements for the proposed research and jurisdiction. A feasibility review is not a substitute for current code review or project-specific engineering.
- Hazardous materials and deferred maintenance: Establish what remediation or repair may be needed before work can proceed. These are potential project requirements to investigate, not costs that should be assumed away simply because they are not visible in a walkthrough.
- Utilities and building systems: Check site utility availability and capacity as well as the capacity and condition of mechanical, electrical, and other building systems. Determine what can be upgraded and at what cost and schedule. Consider both the systems within the building and the utility services available at the site.
- Construction conditions: Assess whether the site can support construction, staging, access, and any necessary phasing while the institution continues to operate. If research or other occupants remain in place, the plan must address how work can be carried out alongside ongoing operations.
The National Research Council identifies structure, code compliance, services, hazardous materials, utilities, and building-system capacity as core due-diligence concerns. Findings should inform a real alternative design and preliminary estimate, not just a general judgment that the building is “suitable.” Where important conditions remain uncertain, record the uncertainty and include the needed investigation in the decision process; do not treat an unknown as evidence that no work will be required.
Compare all credible project options
Do not limit the decision to a binary renovation-versus-new-build comparison. Depending on the program and site, credible alternatives may include conversion or renovation, an addition, new construction, or a hybrid that combines existing and new space. Compare each using the same assumptions and level of detail. An option that is not a pure renovation or a pure new build may be worth evaluating if it addresses the program and site constraints better than either alone.
| Decision area | Questions for each alternative |
|---|---|
| Program fit | Can it support the research activities, equipment, support spaces, adjacencies, and required capacity? |
| Condition and feasibility | Are structure, floor heights, hazardous materials, code status, utilities, and building systems adequate or reasonably upgradeable? |
| Total cost | Are design, construction, upgrades, land and site work, relocation, temporary or surge space, commissioning, escalation, operations, and maintenance included on a comparable basis? |
| Schedule and disruption | How long will planning, permitting, construction, moves, and commissioning take, and what research must stop or relocate? |
| Performance and compliance | Can the completed facility meet the safety, environmental, building, and laboratory requirements for its actual use and jurisdiction? |
| Useful life and flexibility | What useful life remains in an adapted facility, and how readily can each option accommodate future research changes? |
| Site and institution | Does the site work for access, utilities, campus circulation, zoning, environmental constraints, and future expansion? |
Use one set of assumptions for scope, escalation, schedule, relocation, and performance. If one alternative includes temporary space and commissioning while another does not, the apparent cost or schedule comparison is not meaningful. Apply the same research program to every option, and state the key assumptions behind each estimate and schedule so decision-makers can see where the comparison is firm and where it is uncertain.
The alternatives analysis should assess the laboratory that each option would produce, not simply whether a building can be altered. For each option, explain which program requirements it meets, where it is constrained, and what compromises or additional work would be needed. This makes trade-offs visible: for example, an adaptation may retain or reuse a building while still requiring substantial upgrades, or a new build may provide a closer fit while requiring site and utility work.
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Count the full cost, not just construction
Build a total-project comparison that covers planning and design through commissioning, then considers the facility’s operating life. For an adaptation, include investigations, remediation, repairs, code and infrastructure upgrades, construction phasing, and the cost of working around existing conditions. For a new build, include land or site costs where applicable, utility work, site preparation, and the costs of delivery and commissioning.
For either option, account for relocation, temporary or surge space, escalation, and any research interruption or displacement. Add operations and maintenance to the lifecycle view. The World Health Organization’s laboratory design and maintenance material frames lifecycle costs across planning, construction, commissioning, operation, and maintenance for new or repurposed facilities. This is why an initial capital estimate alone is not a complete comparison: the decision concerns both delivering the facility and supporting it over time.
Cost estimates should be prepared at a comparable stage and scope. Include what it takes to deliver each option, not only the visible building work. If the adapted building needs system upgrades, remediation, repairs, or temporary accommodation, show those items rather than hiding them in an allowance or leaving them out. Likewise, do not omit site, utility, commissioning, or relocation costs from a new-build estimate. Make escalation assumptions explicit and apply them consistently.
Complex renovation can approach the cost of a new facility, while a renovation constrained by existing geometry or the need to maintain operations may deliver less functional space. Those outcomes are possible, not universal. The National Research Council does not establish a generally applicable renovation premium or a break-even cost threshold. Building condition, research type, market, scope, and jurisdiction make project-specific estimates essential. Avoid applying a generic percentage or rule of thumb as if it decided this project.
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Put schedule and research disruption on the same footing
A construction schedule is only part of the decision. Compare planning, permitting, construction, commissioning, and moves, and identify the research activities affected at each stage. An adaptation may require phased work or temporary relocation to keep other users operating; that can add time and cost and constrain layout. A new build has its own site, utility, permitting, and delivery sequence.
Ask each project team to show what happens to the research program during construction, not only the date the contractor expects to finish. Include temporary or surge space and the time needed to commission the completed laboratory before work can resume. If an alternative depends on uninterrupted operations, explain how construction access, services, and safety will be managed. If work must pause or move, include that disruption in the comparison rather than treating it as unrelated to the building decision.
There is no universal schedule winner established by the available planning guidance. The project-specific schedule depends on the scope and delivery circumstances, including the work required in an existing building and the site, utility, and permitting sequence for a new facility. Ask teams to use the same milestones and to make assumptions clear: a short construction duration is not an apples-to-apples advantage if planning, relocation, or commissioning has been left out.
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Evaluate the laboratory that will result
The choice is not successful merely because the project can be delivered within a capital budget. Compare the resulting facility for functionality, workflow, adjacencies, performance, safety, maintainability, and adaptability. Consider effects on other occupants and the institution’s ability to expand or change the research program.
Existing layouts and the need to keep research in operation can limit an adaptation’s adjacencies or functionality. Conversely, a new facility should be judged against the same program rather than assumed to be flexible simply because it is new. Use the facilities program to assess whether each alternative supports the work and future changes. A building option should be evaluated for the laboratory it can actually deliver, including any constraints that remain after planned upgrades.
Flexibility, functionality, schedule, capital and operating cost, and tangible and intangible benefits are all legitimate decision criteria. Make trade-offs explicit: for example, whether a modestly lower initial project cost is worth a shorter useful life or less effective workflow. The decision should reflect institutional priorities rather than an assumed universal ranking. Include maintainability and effects on other users as well as the immediate fit for research, so that the preferred option is not selected on one metric alone.
Check requirements for the location and research use
Laboratory standards and approvals depend on geography, sector, and research activity. Confirm current local requirements with the relevant authorities and qualified design professionals; a general planning reference cannot determine compliance for a specific project. Requirements for one country or sector should not be treated as a universal rule for all laboratories.
For health-sector buildings in England, NHS Health Technical Memorandum 67 covers design, planning, specification, engineering, and commissioning of laboratories. It is mainly intended for new building work but can also apply to replacement laboratories in existing buildings. The NHS page says it was published in 2005 and updated on 26 January 2024: NHS HTM 67: Laboratory facilities. Its scope is not a general code for laboratories in every country or sector.
For energy decisions, the I2SL Smart Labs Toolkit recommends documenting scope, schedule, and budget requirements for a new build and using energy modeling to examine energy use: I2SL Smart Labs Toolkit. Use modeling and lifecycle review to consider operating implications alongside capital cost. In an alternatives study, this helps keep the operating question in view rather than limiting the comparison to construction expenditure.
Make the decision through a documented predesign study
- Approve the program. Document research activities, capacity, equipment, support needs, adjacencies, environmental and safety requirements, and future flexibility; coordinate it with the institutional master plan.
- Establish the baseline. Record the existing building’s conditions, systems, maintenance needs, site utilities, constraints, and the facility’s remaining useful life where adaptation is under consideration.
- Develop viable alternatives. Test renovation or conversion, addition, new construction, and relevant hybrids against the same program.
- Produce comparable estimates and schedules. Include upgrades, site work, relocation, temporary space, escalation, commissioning, operations, maintenance, and research disruption. State assumptions and uncertainties.
- Evaluate the completed facility. Score program fit, workflow, safety, performance, maintainability, flexibility, useful life, and effects on other users.
- Confirm local requirements. Have the appropriate design and compliance professionals check current approvals and standards for the specific location and laboratory use.
- Record the rationale. Identify the preferred alternative, the trade-offs accepted, the key unresolved risks, and the evidence or decisions needed before design advances.
A requirements document can help organize the decision. I2SL’s Smart Labs Toolkit calls for documenting scope, schedule, and budget requirements for a new build; those same categories are useful to keep visible while comparing options. Record the basis for the program, the alternatives considered, the cost and schedule assumptions, and the open questions. This gives the institution a shared reference for reviewing whether each option satisfies the stated need.
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The decision should not be based on a single headline estimate, a presumed construction speed, or a building’s apparent condition. The predesign study should put the evidence side by side: what the research needs, what each alternative can deliver, what it costs across delivery and operation, how it affects current work, and what uncertainty remains. If the available information is not enough to choose, identify the additional assessment required rather than presenting a false level of certainty.
The National Academies’ 2000 publication, Laboratory Design, Construction, and Renovation: Participants, Process, and Product, is a foundational planning reference for predesign and alternatives analysis, not a replacement for current codes or project-specific engineering. Its publication record is available from the National Academies Press: Laboratory Design, Construction, and Renovation. The publication describes laboratories as “complex, technically sophisticated, and mechanically intensive structures that are expensive to build and to maintain.” Its recommendations provide a planning framework; current approvals and a project’s engineering decisions still need to be addressed for the specific facility and use.
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Is renovating an existing building always cheaper than building a new laboratory?
No. Renovation may involve hidden conditions, hazardous-material remediation, deferred maintenance, code and infrastructure upgrades, phasing, relocation, or workarounds for existing geometry. Complex renovation can approach the cost of a new facility, but that is not a universal result. Compare project-specific total costs, including site and utility work for new construction and operating and maintenance costs for both options.
How can we tell whether an existing building is suitable for laboratory use?
Start with the research program, then commission a laboratory-experienced existing-conditions and feasibility review. Include architecture and engineering professionals, facilities operations, and environmental health and safety staff. Review structure, floor-to-floor conditions, codes, hazardous materials, utilities, building systems, deferred maintenance, and construction conditions. The review should determine what is adequate, what can be upgraded, and what needs further investigation; it cannot replace project-specific engineering or current code review.
Should we compare only renovation with new construction?
No. Include an addition and relevant hybrid options where they are credible for the program and site. Compare every alternative against the same facilities program and consistent assumptions for cost, schedule, relocation, performance, and useful life.
Is a new-build laboratory always faster?
No universal schedule winner has been established by the available planning guidance. Compare planning, permitting, site and utility work, construction, relocation, and commissioning for each option. Include phasing and research disruption for an adaptation, and the site and delivery sequence for a new build.
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No broadly applicable renovation premium or break-even threshold is established by the National Research Council material cited here. Results depend on the building, research type, market, jurisdiction, and project scope. Use comparable, project-specific estimates instead of relying on a generic percentage.
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Does NHS HTM 67 apply to every laboratory project?
No. It is NHS guidance for health-sector laboratory facilities in England. It is mainly intended for new building work and can also apply to replacement laboratories in existing buildings. Confirm the requirements that apply to the actual location, sector, and research use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is renovating an existing building always cheaper than building a new laboratory?
No. Renovation may involve hidden conditions, hazardous-material remediation, deferred maintenance, code and infrastructure upgrades, phasing, relocation, or workarounds for existing geometry. Complex renovation can approach the cost of a new facility, but there is no universal result. Compare project-specific total and lifecycle costs.
How can we tell whether an existing building is suitable for laboratory use?
Define the research program, then commission a laboratory-experienced existing-conditions and feasibility review with architecture and engineering professionals, facilities operations, and environmental health and safety staff. Assess structure, codes, hazardous materials, utilities, systems, deferred maintenance, and construction conditions. This does not replace current code review or project-specific engineering.
Should we compare only renovation with new construction?
No. Compare renovation or conversion, an addition, new construction, and relevant hybrid options against the same program and consistent assumptions for cost, schedule, relocation, performance, and useful life.
Is a new-build laboratory always faster?
No universal schedule winner is established. Compare planning, permitting, site and utility work, construction, moves, and commissioning. Include phasing and research disruption for adaptation as well as site and delivery sequencing for a new build.
Is there a standard cost premium or break-even point for renovation?
No broadly applicable premium or break-even threshold is established by the cited National Research Council material. The result depends on the building, research type, market, jurisdiction, and scope, so use comparable project-specific estimates.
Does NHS HTM 67 apply to every laboratory project?
No. It is health-sector guidance for England, mainly for new work but also applicable to replacement laboratories in existing buildings. Confirm requirements for the project’s location, sector, and research use.
The Bottom Line
Do not choose by assuming that renovation saves time or money, or that new construction is automatically better. Define the research program first, then use a documented predesign study to test renovation, an addition, new construction, and credible hybrids against the same feasibility, lifecycle cost, schedule, disruption, performance, and useful-life criteria. The right answer is project-specific; where evidence is incomplete, identify the assessment needed before committing.
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