Laboratory Design

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Lab design specialists for over 40 years

Amicus Labline are Australiaʼs leading lab design and fitout specialists, with extensive experience in planning, designing and building laboratories for the resources, energy, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, R&D and education sectors. We provide both architectural and building services design, and are one of the few companies in Australia to offer a combined laboratory design & fitout package. 

Our expertise in designing and building lab spaces is second to none. Our experienced team will reduce your pain, time, and costs during the planning and design stage. We will then deliver you a state of the art, world class laboratory environment that supports your organisation's aims and objectives while ensuring safe working and best practises. 

We always aim to work collaboratively with you and your team of end users to ensure the best outcomes are achieved for your project. Given the inherent complexity of laboratory design, the first step is for our team to understand your team and their requirements. We work closely together at every step of the project to make sure we are aligned while delivering a true turn-key solution. 

A better lab design process

Understanding your needs is vital to a successful project. Fulfilling your immediate needs and planning for the future to allow for growth, are all considerations when planning the workflow sequence.

There are several ways to manage a project, starting with the design process and at Amicus Labline our model is flexible enough to accommodate all our clients' needs. Through the initial design brief Amicus Labline can assist in identifying the relevant design services required to complement your project.  

In addition to our in-house laboratory architecture design team, Amicus Labline has strong, long-standing relationships with industry specialists, building services consultants, and certifiers, all of whom have expertise in the intricacies of laboratory fit outs. Our collaborative approach is one of assisting and guiding, based on our knowledge of the Australian Standards and regulations that govern the scientific sectors.

Amicus Labline has a background in laboratory design for both Australian and overseas accreditations, including: NATA, USFDA, and others. 

Design Flexibility

There are multiple options and stages to a design process, often determined by the specific client needs and requirements. Design can commence at:

Strategy
Feasibility: This is useful in determining the area of laboratory and office that may be required prior to seeking assistance from Tenant reps and landlords. See feasibility.

Lab Workflows: The processes that your end users move through in their day to day work within the lab. It is common to see lab workflows that are negatively impacted by the physical environment. Designing a lab to a workflow produces far more successful outcomes for both the business and users..

Site investigation: Carrying out due diligence on specific tenancies that are being considered. Ensuring it is fit for purpose for its intended use, prior to entering into a tenancy agreement. This is also useful for negotiating the best outcomes from landlords.
Design Only
Amicus Labline can also provide design only consultancy services, separating the design component of a project from the construction phase.

In this case Amicus Labline can still deliver a full consultancy team to carry out the concept design, detailed design, tender documentation, and construction documentation phases.

Design only does not preclude construction, instead it splits them up to better fit your needs.
Design & Construct
The client engages Amicus Labline for both the design and construction of the project. This process is ideal when time is one of the driving factors.

It allows us to work closely with our client, architect and engineering services consultants. It also allows us to liaise with our preferred sub-contractors during the design phase to ensure the project is value engineered during design rather than post design.

This is a key element that allows the process to be fast tracked instead of keeping contractors at arm’s length until the tender process.

Our Process - Keychain

Keychain brings a new level of transparency to our engagements with you. It is a workflow tool that shares project progress and accountability items with you from day one through to practical completion.

keychain

This process is also characterised by project management best practice in the use of hold and approval points during the project. These gates at project milestones are in place to guarantee that you are happy with the progress and outcomes that are being delivered. Many of these gates correspond to ongoing budget outputs and can also be used as hold points to reassess project scope and associated budgets.

Amicus Labline is dedicated to delivering a world class experience and outcome for you and your team. We are committed to making good on our promise of making you a client for life; a philosophy that believes the more successful we are in carrying out your project, the more likely that you’ll return in the future. This client centric approach means that you and your needs are top priority and Amicus Labline will be your advocate throughout the project.

Our complete lab design offering

Our services listed below are a sample of the most commonly used disciplines within a design. Other services can be engaged if the project dictates. Conversely, we are also flexible should a client not wish to engage in all the services listed below.

Architectural design

Services design:

  • Electrical
  • Mechanical
  • Hydraulics
  • Structural
  • Fire
  • Gas
  • Dangerous Goods

Council authorities, including:

  • Private Certifiers/Surveyors
  • Town Planners

Lab Design for Safety & Compliance

Design plays a critical role in ensuring that your lab is a safe environment to work. Through our knowledge and experience gained over more than four decades, and our understanding of all relevant laboratory design standards and guidelines, we design laboratory layouts and spaces that are safe, efficient and exciting to work in.

Amicus Labline’s commitment to you is our dedication to understanding your requirements and users to guarantee a successful overlay of both the regulatory and best practise elements of Laboratory design.

We can provide guidance on engineering elements such as HVAC solutions that play a fundamental part in achieving the various physical containment levels required. These may include specialist filtration systems or modifying the pressure variances between  labs to create positive or negative pressures.

The safe storage of chemicals and discharge of hazardous waste often requires input from a Dangerous Goods specialist that can assist in a sound and compliant management and storage plan.

We can provide lab design solutions to comply with Australian Standards, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Physical Containment (PC) levels from 1 to 4. Over 50% of our portfolio is at a PC2 laboratory level.

Laboratory Sectors
  • Research & Development
    By following certain design principles, careful planning and coordination, a laboratory design can achieve optimal performance, functionality and flexibility for an R&D facility.

    A well-designed laboratory can enhance the productivity, safety and quality of research and development activities. We therefore invest time in understanding and assessing the purpose and scope of the R&D facility, including the type of experiments, equipment and materials that will be used.
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  • Energy
    Over the years Amicus Labline have completed many projects within the Energy Sector, ranging from Hydro plant to Hydrogen energy and Lithium battery technology.

    The location and orientation of the laboratory should consider factors such as accessibility, security, environmental impact, natural light, ventilation, noise, and utilities.

    This is a crucial aspect of a successful implementation and one that requires collaborative discussions between end users, service specialists and designers.
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  • Food & Beverage
    Laboratory design for the food and beverage industry is one of our specialties. We have a deep understanding of all the relevant Physical Containment (PC) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Standards and can offer a seamless process from concept to fully-operational, compliant working laboratory as a result.

    Physical Containment standards are one area of our expertise and over 50% of our portfolio is at the PC2 level. Please see our Projects page for some recent examples of our work in the food and beverage industry.
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  • Pharmaceutical
    Pharmaceutical lab design is an area we have particular expertise in. With a deep knowledge of Physical Containment and relevant Australian Standards, we are able to design and build pharma labs that are productive, safe, compliant and a pleasure to work in.

    Our multi-disciplinary team covers all key areas from efficient layout design to ergonomics, safety, furniture and aesthetics, ensuring a seamless process from concept to completion.
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  • Education
    Amicus Labline has been designing school science classrooms and university laboratories across all disciplines for over 40 years, successfully collaborating with schools and universities to design safe, durable, multi functional and engaging science labs and classrooms.

    We partner with schools and universities to design multipurpose environments that are used first and foremost as science laboratories but can be utilised for many other purposes. Mobile laboratory furniture, vibrant colours, tactile surfaces and state of the art technology are all harmoniously integrated to create an open, collaborative, fun and exciting flexible learning environment.
    Enquire now
Latest Projects
Bioanalytical Laboratory
Agilex Biolabs
Brisbane, QLD
R&D Laboratory
Calix
Maddingley, Victoria
Tech Laboratory
Nokia – UTS Tech Lab
Botany, Sydney
Road Construction Laboratory
ARRB
Port Melbourne, Melbourne
PC2 Laboratory
DuPont
South Windsor, Sydney
Biology Laboratory
Cesar Australia
Brunswick, Melbourne
Food Testing Laboratory
Farmland Dairy
Auburn, Sydney
The labs have been transformed into professional learning spaces. Students remarked that they felt like scientists as soon as they walked into the room!
- Sera Hurley, St Catherine’s School
This new facility by Amicus will allow us to provide enhanced, cutting-edge research to governments, agencies and academia on all aspects of transport.
- Michael Caltabiano, ARRB
We are very happy with how this project! The furniture that Amicus Labline supplied are of great quality and I am sure will see out the life of the plant.
- Kade Storer, CITIC
The project was well organised with minimal disruption. The result integrated well into our existing labs. I would highly recommend Amicus.
- Claire Devoy, BTF

Clients we've worked with

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Labline: National Capability
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If you would like to learn more about how we can assist you with your next project, fill in your details below and we’ll be in touch.