Life Sciences Facilities
Space Conversions
Life Sciences Facilities
Space Conversions
Space Conversions
What makes Space Conversions
A space conversion turns office, warehouse or shell space into laboratory use, governed less by ambition than by what the existing building can actually carry.
Design considerations for Space Conversions
Structural and floor-loading assessment for benching, heavy instruments and plant; plant capacity, riser space, incoming power and drainage, and whether floor-to-ceiling height allows the services a laboratory needs; condition and risk survey of existing services, plus a refurbishment and demolition asbestos survey; planning and landlord constraints, including external plant, acoustics and reinstatement obligations; fire strategy, means of escape and compartmentation reassessed for the new use; the sustainability case for reuse; and phasing where the building, or other tenants, remain in occupation.
Regulatory context
Governed by the accreditation the finished laboratory needs to hold, assessed against the building’s surveyed condition rather than assumed capacity.
How Axentia delivers Space Conversion projects
Conversions carry the most unknowns, structure, floor loading, existing services, plant capacity, asbestos, landlord and planning constraints, so the model follows the survey. Where the building needs structural or plant intervention, Construction Management gives open-book pricing on each package and the flexibility to respond to what the survey uncovers. A straightforward fit-out of a building that already has the capacity, under £500,000, can be delivered with Axentia as Principal Contractor. Either way, we start with a feasibility study, so the conversion is priced against surveyed facts rather than assumptions.
Case Studies
Examples of Space Conversion projects we've delivered
Space Conversions FAQs
What are the specific requirements of a space conversion?
Converting office, warehouse or shell space to laboratory use is governed by what the existing building can carry:
- Structural and floor-loading assessment for benching, heavy instruments and plant.
- Plant capacity, riser space, incoming power and drainage, and whether floor-to-ceiling height allows the services a laboratory needs.
- Condition and risk survey of existing services, plus a refurbishment and demolition asbestos survey.
- Planning and landlord constraints, including external plant, acoustics and reinstatement obligations.
- Fire strategy, means of escape and compartmentation reassessed for the new use.
- The sustainability case for reuse, which is often a material part of the business case.
- Phasing where the building is occupied, including other tenants.
I am looking to convert existing space to lab space. What sort of delivery model is best for me?
Conversions carry the most unknowns (structure, floor loading, existing services, plant capacity, asbestos, landlord and planning constraints), so the model follows the survey. Where the building needs structural or plant intervention, Construction Management gives you open-book pricing on each package and the flexibility to respond to what the survey uncovers. A straightforward fit-out of a building that already has the capacity, under £500,000, can be delivered with Axentia as Principal Contractor. Either way we start with a feasibility study, so the conversion is priced against surveyed facts rather than assumptions.
Talk to us about your Space Conversion project
Talk to our team about your facility, budget and timeline — we’ll recommend the right route to delivery.