A new 4-story building was envisioned to house the plans for the new Great Lake Research Laboratory a center to study the health and ecology of the Great Lakes, with all the amenities to support classrooms, 11,500 sf of laboratories and a docking station for the University’s research vessels used for field work and sample collection.

iDesign was retained to conduct and independent design review for code compliance, standards of good lab practice and added value through enhanced quality during the construction phase of the project.

iDesign identified deficiencies in the materials specified for a “metal free” laboratory designed to for trace metal testing, identified code deficiencies relative to electrical panel placements and made recommendations for several improvements to meet standards of good lab practice early in the process which avoided potentially costly modifications if discovered during building inspections or post-occupancy.