The Navy’s Biomolecular Science & Synthetic Biology Laboratory, a four-story, 88,000-square-foot biological and chemical research lab, will support research programs within the Naval Research Laboratory activities on the Washington, DC campus. The state-of-the-art facility’s mission to enhance biological research uses advanced simulation, biocontainment, and chemical processing practices. Collaborative working sessions provided the necessary risk assessment to guide the facility planning process. The design team delivered a refined architectural space program that satisfies the facility’s wet and dry lab needs using biosafety-level practices.

Resiliency, a required aspect of the project, was accomplished through the collective efforts of key stakeholders and the design team. Among the resilient design features are deep foundations, progressive collapse resistance, physical security measures, corrosion-resistant construction, pollution abatement, externally generated electromagnetic pulse control, lab pressure cascading principles, biosafety, and chemical hoods with dedicated exhaust systems. The laboratory’s construction involves reinforced concrete, a structural steel frame for the mechanical penthouse, and specialized spaces such as wet laboratories, secure labs, and IT equipment areas.

This exciting, advanced biosafety and chemical laboratory utilized Pond’s extensive lab planning, safe laboratory engineering, antiterrorism features, cybersecurity, and effluent and emission treatments, which are realized within a sustainable, high-performance building expressing an elegant design.