Lab Design Guidelines

UMass Amherst expects architects, engineers, and designers to construct campus buildings and spaces that meet building codes and regulatory standards and also provide a safe and healthy environment for occupants and maintenance personnel. This manual provides some additional background on certain design requirements that relate to environmental, health and safety (EH&S) issues for laboratory, shop, and studio spaces. This manual does not address, and is not intended to nullify or assume responsibility for, the architect’s duty to know and understand all governing requirements in accordance with their executed agreement with the University. Rather, it is provided solely to communicate certain EH&S design issues that may be overlooked by architects and their consultants during the design of a University project.  It also should be understood that this manual is a basic guide.  In all cases, the project team must involve EH&S in all phases of the project from programming through occupancy.  Decisions about the need for and selection of safety features such as local exhaust ventilation, eye wash stations, etc. must be reached in consultation with EH&S.  Any changes to agreed safety features must be reviewed by EH&S.