'Renovated Lab of the Year' transforms nondescript facility

SST Planners, a laboratory planning and design firm that has since been acquired by Page, was part of the project team awarded the prestigious 'Renovated Laboratory of the Year' by R&D (Research & Design) Magazine.

They served as laboratory consultant on the University of Connecticut Health Center, Cell and Genome Sciences Building (CGSB) in Farmington. The major renovation of a single-story 117,813-ft2 laboratory facility received the award for its successful transformation of an uninspiring, outdated science facility.

In addition to other factors cited, the shift to open and flexible lab areas and intelligent repurposing of a toxicology-oriented lab to a facility for interdisciplinary research prompted the judges to give this entry the highest level of recognition.

Due to financial constraints, a major floorplate reconfiguration was not feasible. This required careful and creative planning to achieve successful repurposing. Attention to remediation and sustainability also were required to get the building to its LEED Silver goal on a constrained budget.

To read more about the users, goals, schedule, highlight and results, click here.