Lab Design for a Confidential Histology Lab

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Global Life Sciences and Healthcare Company

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Southern California

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30,000 SF

Corridor in the BSA-designed histology facility featuring a dramatic wall-sized microscopic tissue image in black and white, artfully connecting the space to its scientific purpose. A woman in a blue jacket walks through the hallway while another sits in a vibrant blue chair beside a small accent table. The space showcases the same cellular-inspired ceiling design with soft gold-toned dividers and integrated lighting. Through a doorway, glimpses of a meeting area reveal staff collaborating, all unified by the consistent blue and neutral color palette on sleek gray tile flooring.

Bright break room in the BSA-designed histology facility featuring the signature cellular-patterned ceiling with blue backlighting that unifies the design throughout the space. Two colleagues converse at a central white island counter while another works independently at a café table. Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the room with natural light and provide verdant views of surrounding trees. The functional kitchenette includes light wood cabinetry, integrated appliances, and a colorful patterned banquette seating area with round tables, creating a comfortable space for staff to relax and collaborate away from laboratory settings.

Conference room in the BSA-designed histology facility featuring glass walls for transparency and the distinctive cellular-patterned ceiling with blue backlighting. Two colleagues work collaboratively at a white meeting table with laptops, against a vibrant royal blue accent wall with wall-mounted display screen. The room is identified as '203' with appropriate signage and features a contemporary globe pendant light. Outside, a staff member walks along the corridor with large windows providing natural light and exterior views, maintaining the facility's modern aesthetic with consistent gray tile flooring and patterned carpeting within the meeting space.

Intimate breakout space in the BSA-designed histology facility featuring the signature cellular-patterned ceiling with blue and white backlit panels. A staff member reviews material on a tablet at a round table with contemporary white and blue chairs, beside floor-to-ceiling windows offering exterior views. The compact kitchenette includes light wood cabinetry, dark stone countertops, integrated sink, and a wall-mounted screen for presentations or media viewing. Minimalist pendant lighting and glass partition walls create an open feeling within the compact space, maintaining the facility's cohesive modern aesthetic with gray tile flooring.

Open office area of the BSA-designed histology facility showcasing the cellular-patterned ceiling motif in vibrant blue, creating visual continuity with the laboratory spaces. Staff collaborate at modern white workstations with royal blue privacy panels, while height-adjustable desks and ergonomic seating promote workplace flexibility. The space features a mix of seated and standing work positions with strategically placed tall collaboration surfaces. Gray patterned carpeting provides acoustic benefits in this administrative environment, which maintains the facility's consistent color scheme and design language, with glass-walled meeting rooms visible in the background and pendant lighting illuminating the workspace.

Detail view of the BSA-designed histology facility showcasing a striking wall-sized histological tissue image in dramatic black and white, which beautifully connects the workspace to its scientific purpose. In the background, a laboratory technician in a white coat works at an ergonomic workstation equipped with specialized equipment and adjustable fixtures. The facility's clean environment features bright overhead lighting, white suspended ceiling tiles, and smooth white flooring suitable for laboratory settings, creating a visual contrast with the intricate cellular patterns of the feature wall while reinforcing the facility's commitment to both precision science and thoughtful design.

Interior of a histology lab utility room featuring water treatment equipment including a gray water heater with yellow top on the left, a blue water purification system on the right, and two beige filtration tanks in the center. The room contains plumbing infrastructure with copper pipes and valves mounted on white walls, and a metal storage rack holding paper supplies and boxed materials. The clean, clinical space has a white floor and fluorescent lighting overhead.

Spacious modern histology laboratory with bright white surfaces and suspended ceiling with integrated lighting. The open layout features ergonomic blue workstations with computer terminals arranged along both sides of a central aisle. Lab personnel in white coats work at stations equipped with multiple power outlets and specialized equipment mounting systems. A person pushes a red cart with supplies through the immaculate white floor space, surrounded by analytical equipment and organized storage shelving.

BSA is a proud leader of a new lab design for a rapidly growing Global Life Sciences and Healthcare Company in Southern California. The laboratory had outgrown its disjointed, multi-floor space, creating inefficiencies between researchers and pathologists who needed to transport sensitive slides across the building frequently. To address staffing challenges in the Midwest, the client pivoted from an Indianapolis expansion to growing its California site. Here, histological samples from around the world are processed.

BSA transformed one floor of the new location into an integrated, flexible lab and office space. The redesigned floor fosters collaboration, supports recruitment, and reflects the client’s updated brand identity. This space became the first to implement the company’s new enterprise office standards, emphasizing the right space type, size, and function. Even more, redesigning the client’s near-future lab and administrative hub is the first of its coast-to-coast sites to attract and retain talent.

Form Follows Function

Histology is the study of tissue and its structures. The structure of each tissue is directly related to its function. Therefore, BSA used the “form follows function” concept to drive the design. BSA worked intently with the client to understand their work on a cellular level and reflect upon and celebrate that work throughout. Embracing the client’s new branding, BSA used varying shades of blue to indicate changes in the function of each space. Accordingly, the intention of each area is evident through the use of color, material, and furniture. We gave special attention to providing the client with a mix of workspaces to support diverse work styles within the lab design. As a result, a mix of workspaces supports comfort, productivity, and visual storytelling of the client’s mission.

Specialized Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Systems

Given the nature of the client’s work, dependable air, water, plumbing, HVAC, and backup power were critical. BSA’s engineering team addressed these requirements from the outset. During the site selection phase, BSA engineers met with the client to develop engineering solutions and determine systems and capacity requirements necessary to equip a former office-only site to operate as a fully functioning lab.

At the client’s prior location, vendors regularly delivered deionized water for daily operations. However, during the pandemic, supply chain disruptions made this process unpredictable, costly, and time-consuming. To solve this, BSA designed the new lab to include a reverse osmosis/deionized purification system. This compact unit—only 3 feet by 3 feet—now allows the client to purify water on-site.

For uninterrupted power, BSA engineers installed a 600kW diesel backup generator. This ensures the lab never loses critical specimens or research during outages. Additionally, our team added a 150kW uninterruptible power supply. This unit provides emergency power specifically for IT equipment across labs and workspaces. Alongside the power supply, BSA also included flexible electrical service panels and mobile cables. These allow the client to reconfigure lab layouts without requiring further construction.

Finally, new and relocated rooftop air handling units, including a 100% outdoor air lab unit with energy recovery, ensure proper lab ventilation.

Collaborative Floor Plan

BSA designed a floor plan that positions the labs on the outer ring of the building to maximize natural light. Branded color accents continue into the lab to call out areas of collaboration. Even more, all lab stools reflect the branding colors. Collaboration spaces–many of them designed to accommodate between two to five individual – are easily located just beyond the labs and adjacent to the office spaces to make short, often unscheduled collaborative conversations easy.

A clean walkway, illuminated by a continuous LED light fixture, affords visitors a path through the lab, allowing them a closer view of the lab areas without needing to wear a lab coat and other protection.

Designed for Years to Come

BSA’s design of this combination lab and office space met the client’s goals of “engaging, belonging, and developing.” BSA designed the “why” for the project, worked closely with the client in establishing the vision, measured goals and successes as a team, mapped user experience, designed future states, flows, and more.

The design of this facility not only equips occupants to study the structures of tissues in a beautiful, functional space. It also inspires and enables researchers and support teams to stretch the bounds of cellular-level breakthroughs and advancements for years to come.

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Disciplines

Architecture, Engineering, Interior Design

Lab Design for a Confidential Histology Lab

Form Follows Function

Specialized Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Systems

Collaborative Floor Plan

Designed for Years to Come

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