Design Tools for Interaction in Lab Buildings

Tips for fostering collaboration.

Published May 2007 Creating neighborhoods is key.

The key idea in collaborative, interactive lab buildings is to push people together so that they become aware of what others are doing. Out of the mouths of researchers and senior research directors, we heard that the creation of neighborhoods in buildings with communal activity is critical to making science happen. You can draw people out of their small work areas into group settings by putting Wi-Fi cyber stations in your cafés and eateries. For interaction, put round tables that seat 8 people in your eateries to force people to eat in groups. Mount white boards (or etched translucent glass that works like white board material) on the circulation end of lab benches to create a collaborative science feature.

- From Tradeline's Research Buildings 2007 Conference