CSIRO is Australia's national science agency and one of the largest and most diverse scientific research organizations in the world. With more than 6,500 employees, the Commonwealth entity is committed to fostering commercial research partnerships that bridge traditional institutional and disciplinary boundaries. CSIRO delivers science and innovative solutions for industry, society, and the environment by conducting research in a diverse range of areas including energy, information technology, health, minerals, agriculture, and natural resources.

"We are very interested in driving collaboration between existing research communities in Australia. A major priority with this facility was to program collaboration, interaction, and adaptability into the design," says John Takats, project director with CSIRO.

CSIRO entered into a collaborative arrangement with the University to develop the QBP, which brings together scientists from CSIRO, the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), and the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.

The complex houses more than 750 researchers and consists of two seven-story predominantly laboratory blocks of similar design connected by visually open and airy corridors and central meeting areas designed to increase interactivity among researchers. Smaller wings containing offices and support facilities connect with the central corridor/meeting areas. The complex also has dedicated conference facilities, specialized research laboratories, and plant growth facilities.

The facility's flexible lab spaces, extensive use of interior glass walls, and moveable furniture showcase the organization's commitment to collaborative research. Completed in February 2003, the project was developed with a high level of efficiency in under two years at a cost of $52.3 million (USD).

With the QBP facility, CSIRO employed a traditional project delivery method known as "lump sum tender," which starts with an extensive planning and documentation process. In this process the design team—consisting of the architects, engineers, and consultants—work together from an initial defined set of requirements through planning, conceptual, and design phases that culminate in a set of contract drawings and specifications. Once these phases are complete, the organization issues a call for tenders where contractors provide the client with a fixed price for the job that includes all subcontractor prices and materials.

"We received good value for our money using the lump sum tender method in an economic climate which suited this form of project delivery," Takats says.

CSIRO also employed a system of "design proofing" throughout development to ensure that the project stayed on track with budget, execution, and time line.

"Our process of design proofing included value management reviews, design meetings, regular budget checks, and cost benchmarking to ensure cost targets were not overshot," says Takats.

Engaging the Elements

Extensive use of glass walls between offices, lab space, and corridors provides open visibility from one side of the building to the other. In addition to creating a safer work environment, use of glass walls brings more light to inner floor spaces, facilitates strong visual connectivity and researcher interaction, and allows occupants to relate more to the surrounding landscape and weather conditions.

In most areas of Australia, sun shading is a significant design issue for any large complex. Controlling sunlight penetration into the building was important not only because of energy saving issues, but also because Australian standards require that there is no sun penetration into laboratories. Tinted glass and sun-shading blades were used throughout the building to control sunlight penetration and ambient heat.

Another unique feature of the building was implementation of a uniquely colored sandstone façade, which not only provides a conduit for the main walkway linking the facility to the university campus it also continues the sandstone theme in use across much of the University.

Providing Support

Plant rooms are situated both on the east and the west walls in the zones having particularly harsh sun angles. This layout helps maintain open north-south sightlines across the entire building. Service systems for each level are routed through the ceiling space and connected to a central service riser with air handling and exhaust management capabilities on a floor-by-floor basis. A vertical services rise collects all the waste from the fume cupboards and connects all floors to a large plant room on the top level. This design negates the impact of changes to floors both above and below.

"We toured labs in both the U.S. and UK before we started this facility and determined that the most successful laboratories had dropped ceilings in them," says Takats.

All of the QBP's services to labs are routed within the suspended ceiling spaces—providing gas, electrical, voice, and data services to virtually any location on the floor.

Enhancing Adaptability

The lab portion of the facility was designed with an intentionally generic approach to increase research flexibility. Designers used a planning module of 10 feet 9 inches—a figure driven by optimal bench depths and Australian standards for clearance and circulation.

Generic offices are separated from laboratory zones by floor-to-ceiling glazed panels. The laboratory support areas are comprised of generic sizes, and can be used for diverse functions from tissue culture to equipment rooms. Services are not permanently connected to the benchtops or the cabinets, which allows researchers to reconfigure a room layout based on specific needs. Instead, services are provided on a modular basis through inverted columns suspended from ceilings.

Work benches consist of powder coated metal frames that are topped with a plastic laminated surface.

"We tested a whole range of plastic laminates, from basic to chemical resistant types, and decided it was more cost effective to go with the basic type. If one gets scratched badly, or is ruined, it is a simple matter to unscrew the top, and replace it," Takats says.

Encouraging Integration

The facility has been able to adapt to more intense use of laboratory floors since it opened. Spaces that were originally designed to accommodate 50 to 55 people per floor are now supporting more than 70 researchers and staff. Research groups continue to change and the facility has already proven its ability to respond efficiently.

CSIRO engineered the labs to be flexible. A key part of this flexible design is the use of generic modular floor plans that allow groups to relocate and change focus quickly.

"We designed the two blocks with similar generic layouts so that groups could relocate across the facility over a weekend without being concerned about moving into a different setup," Takats says.

There are also a number of shared support areas where CSIRO personnel interact with University staff and other players in the facility, including a café, a library, and a 300-seat amphitheater.

"We saw the interaction spaces on each floor as important areas. It is where our staff come to have their morning tea or coffee. It increases the opportunity for social and professional interaction among different groups, and this is where a lot of the ideas are actually formed. There is a large white board where people talk shop and communicate more regularly than they would locked away in labs," says Takats.

By Johnathon Allen

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