Delivering Complex Labs at Speed: Lessons in Collaborative Project Delivery

Delivering complex laboratory environments is challenging under any conditions—but what happens when an aggressive schedule compresses every phase simultaneously? This session examines how project stakeholders collaborated to transform an existing 185,000 sf core-and-shell facility into a specialized research and development environment while managing an accelerated timeline, evolving laboratory requirements, and building infrastructure constraints.

The schedule required design, procurement, and construction to advance in parallel, leaving little room for a traditional sequential workflow. The team had to coordinate significant MEP/FP upgrades and building additions, specialized laboratory systems, and structural modifications within an existing building while design was still actively developing. To meet these demands, the team used iterative coordination that integrated constructability review, design-assist input, advanced VDC coordination, procurement planning, and continuous cost and schedule evaluation—enabling early conflict identification and informed decision-making as conditions evolved.

Representatives from the owner, design team, and construction manager will share perspectives on how schedule pressure shaped technical decisions and drove collaborative strategies, along with lessons learned applicable to future laboratory projects.

Learning objectives:
1. Identify constructability considerations critical when adapting existing facilities for specialized laboratory environments under compressed schedules.
2. Describe how VDC, design-assist, and interdisciplinary coordination support MEPFP and structural integration during concurrent design and construction.
3. Evaluate methods for incorporating cost, schedule, and constructability input into real-time technical design decisions.
4. Apply collaborative coordination strategies to improve delivery of complex laboratory projects driven by aggressive schedule demands.