Retrofitting a Specialised Laboratory 

A specialist mechanical and electrical engineering company undertook an R&D project to enable the retrofit of a highly controlled laboratory facility within a building not originally designed for that purpose. Rather than relying on extensive specialist plant or constructing a new purpose-built structure, the team sought to enhance the performance of conventional M&E systems so they could achieve laboratory-grade environmental conditions within the constraints of the existing building fabric. Through structured design analysis and iterative system modelling, they assessed how airflow, pressure control, filtration, and heat recovery systems could be reconfigured to operate beyond their typical specification. The resulting approach demonstrated that, for certain retrofit scenarios, it is feasible to deliver the required air pressure regimes and environmental stability using optimised standard equipment configured in a non-conventional manner, while still meeting stringent performance criteria.

To validate this approach, the company’s engineers tested multiple system configurations, including the development of a single high-performance air handling unit to replace the need for multiple conventional units. They integrated heat recovery ventilation with enhanced fan coil systems and boosted ductwork, alongside a bespoke additional filtration unit, carefully modelling airflow rates, pressure cascades, and system interactions to ensure stable operation. In parallel, the team evaluated trade-offs between equipment scale, integration complexity, spatial constraints, and overall cost, ensuring that loadings, control tolerances, and environmental parameters remained robust within the existing structure. The result is a cost-effective methodology for retrofitting specialised laboratory environments into pre-existing buildings, reducing reliance on new-build facilities while still achieving the required performance standards.