This "flex" lab design allows for a rapid reconfiguration of functional laboratory space to serve the particular needs of the users. As the users and project scopes change over time, the lab is designed to immediately and physically adjust to those changes. Overhead docking stations, mobile lab benches, and an open "ball room" design are key elements of the space which contriubte to making it one of the most versatile research facilities anywhere in the U.S.  Mobile lab benches and quick-connect lab service panels mounted in the ceilings that feed the lab services to towers on mobile benches add to this building "flexible" abilities.  Once fully occupied, this facility will house 12-15 principal investigators and staff with a technical focus on systems biological engineering.

 

As with most projects constructed for VCU, the site, located on the Monroe campus in downtown Richmond, is a tight urban environment surrounded by educational, residential, and commercial buildings requiring uninterrupted sites and services.