Factors affecting design, construction and renovation of engineering laboratories

Well-equipped and organized laboratories are necessary components of any technical institute, especially of engineeringcolleges, and are earnestly required to impart quality education. Established laboratories will not only help in providing theusers—researchers, faculty members and students—with the necessary tools to conduct research and academicexperiments but also attract industries to collaborate with the institute. This study is undertaken to suggest appropriateactions and effective approaches in constructing and developing a quality laboratory facility for an engineering faculty, noton the details of laboratory construction per se. Many parameters on which customized engineering laboratories design,construction and renovation pertinent to the needs and requirements of the end users and lab administrators arethoroughly assessed and analyzed before proposing an action plan for development. Among the various issues ofimportance, three issues—human issues, process issues, and technical issues—are considered common to most types oflaboratory facilities. Many of these elements, despite appearing to be common sense, bear great importance to the propermanagement of any establishment process and hence need due consideration. This study serves as a road map for thescientific community, lab administrators and researchers interested in establishing engineering laboratories according totheir requirements but can be extended to be followed elsewhere.