The RIPA project started at the simple end of planning applications with permitted development, which might include something like an application for a slightly larger kitchen, or a loft extension.

This is partly because we know the electricity grid is going to be decarbonised.Therefore, using electricity as our primary, or only, source of power on-site means we’ll be tracking alongside the decarbonisation of the grid.

That’s well known in the industry; there’s guidance in place and our focus on sustainability in design has meant that we’ve been working towards that for years now..Grid electricity carbon factor.The electricity grid had a much higher carbon factor a few years ago than it does now.

This is due to coal plants, etc.However, substantial development and investment in recent years by the government and private bodies has reduced the carbon factor of the grid, through the use of renewables, nuclear power stations, and so on.

The National Grid is responsible for working out the carbon factor for the entire grid.

They have scenario modelling and are aware of where things could end up in the best case scenario.There may be insufficient maintenance space, or a lack of space for collaboration between scientists or analytics and informatics work, which are particularly important in R&D environments and increasingly so with the rise in automation..

Regarding flexibility, science and technology are evolving rapidly, which means new processes, equipment, and requirements.Furthermore, the life science industry is very fast-moving, and businesses are routinely scaling-up or going bust.

Flexibility is therefore vital not just for businesses and tenants, but also for developers looking to ensure buildings remain occupied.In our experience, open plan offices with 7.2m grids and above are best suited to flexible lab conversions as these enable a wide range of bench configurations, larger equipment, subdivision into smaller rooms, as well as compliant installation of future MBSCs (microbiological safety cabinets) and fume cabinets.