The Vantage Laboratory project involved the renovation and complete modernization of 12,262 Net Square Feet (8,890 Net Assignable Square Feet) of aging, poorly-utilized laboratory space in the basement of an existing mixed-use building, centrally located within the Vanderbilt University campus. We became involved at the conception of the project, aiding with programming and Plan and providing schematic drawings for a grant submission to the National Institute of Health. Vanderbilt was awarded the NIH grant, and we were engaged to develop the project.

The primary goal of this renovation was to optimize new discovery through consolidation of similar, yet physically separate research groups. The design of the new lab merged four existing core facilities into a single, flexible lab space organized around an existing courtyard. By consolidating the modular lab spaces around shared resources, each research entity will share communal spaces and resources, extending and strengthening already successful collaborations. The existing courtyard was refurbished to provide an exterior communal space, and the corridor walls incorporated custom-designed glazing in order to provide natural light across the corridors, and into the labs.