R&D Magazine invites entries to the 43^rd international Laboratory of the Year competition. The annual competition recognizes the best new and renovated laboratories that combine all aspects of the building into a superior working environment.

Due to an increasing number of innovative laboratory renovation projects and the unique design concepts that they entail, the 2009 Laboratory of the Year competition will award a separate Renovated Laboratory of the Year Award, Adaptive Re-use Award, Build-to-fit Award, along with the traditional Laboratory of the Year Award. All entries, including renovation projects, will be considered equally for the 43^rd Annual Laboratory of the Year, however, the Renovated Laboratory of the Year Award will obviously be limited to renovation projects only.

A new or renovated laboratory should have an appropriate site, an appealing architecture, and a functional arrangement that encourages innovation and communication between its scientists, engineers, technicians, and staff members. In addition, the facility should provide for the efficient use of energy, the safety of personnel and experiments, convenient ingress and egress for both humans (including handicapped) and materials, and for the humane treatment of animal test subjects.

Former winning companies have received international attention and interest from potential customers. 

ELIGIBILITY

1. This competition is for research laboratories, quality assurance laboratories, software development facilities, and testing and standards labs. For this competition, laboratory refers to any building—wing, addition, or portion of a building—that contains one or more work areas dedicated to research, development, quality assurance, or testing and standards.
   
   

2. Any freestanding laboratory, major interior renovation of an existing laboratory, or laboratory as an addition to an existing building may be entered.
   
   

3. Laboratories completed and occupied between August 1, 2007, and December 31, 2008 may be entered.
   
   

4. Read "How to win a Laboratory of the Year Award"
   
   

(Note: Labs completed after July 31, 2008, may be entered in either the 2009 competition or the 2010 competition, but not in both.)

ENTRY FEE AND FORM

1. Entry fee: $250. Make check or purchase order payable to R&D Magazine.

   
   

2. Send entry fee and six (6) complete sets of the entry (see ENTRY MATERIALS REQUIRED) to: Laboratory of the Year, R&D Magazine, 25 Northwest Point Boulevard, Suite 550, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

   
   

ENTRY MATERIALS REQUIRED

1. Each entry must include descriptions and photographs (color photocopies are acceptable) of research activities to be conducted in the lab, the lab design solution, safety features, and the site area. Include total cost, cost per square meter, and what is included in that cost; simple floor plans; and an explanation of outstanding features. Do not submit large blueprints. Each entry must be printed on 8.5" x 11" paper and should be stapled, bound, or otherwise held together.
   
   

2. Submitter's must also include one set of no less than 25 and no more than 35 digital images, supplied as duplicate low-resolution and high-resolution shots on two separate CDs (no DVDs please). PowerPoint presentations, Acrobat (.pdf) files, or Word files with embedded images are not acceptable. High-resolution images should be 300 dpi in .tif or .jpg format (.eps acceptable for line art such as floor plans); low-resolution images should be 72-dpi .jpg files.

   File names should be assigned in the order you wish the images to be judged, and should include the order number, the project name, and a one-word description (i.e., 01_projectname_exterior). A separate document should provide a caption and a photographer credit for each image, keyed to the file names.

   The image set should include the following: site and plot plan; floor plan or plans; at least four exterior views; interior views including work areas, six different views of laboratories, and furnishings; safety considerations, exits, and any special outstanding features. Slides must show each of the major elevations. At least one outside view should show the relationship of the new laboratory to neighboring buildings and facilities.
   

3. Written permission on letterhead must be included from each photographer or photography studio stating that all materials (slides or prints) submitted for the 2009 Laboratory of the Year application can be used in R&D Magazine or any other Advantage Business Media publication FREE OF CHARGE for any or all of the following: editorial coverage, advertising, promotional material, or any other purpose deemed necessary by R&D Magazine. Proper credit will be give to the photographer or photography studio if any images are used. Letters from the submitter are not acceptable unless the submitter owns the copyright to the image and can prove it in a written statement.
   
   

4. To be considered for a Renovated Laboratory of the Year Award, organizations must submit information (graphics and text) on the laboratory as it existed before the renovation, along with the information described elsewhere in this form on the renovation itself. Information on why the change was made, what challenges needed to be overcome, and how those challenges were solved should be included in the entry to assist the judging panel in their deliberations.
   

Note: Be sure you have provided adequate written and visual information about the lab and its mission.

Entries will not be considered without the above submission materials.

JUDGING

1. A jury of representatives from the architectural, scientific, and laboratory equipment communities, plus the editors of R&D Magazine, will select the laboratories that merit awards. Judges individually review each entry prior to a roundtable discussion with R&D Magazine editors. At the roundtable meeting, slides are reviewed and winners (if any) are selected.
   
   

2. At the discretion of the judges, one Renovated Laboratory of the Year, Adaptive Re-use, or Built-to-fit Lab of the Year Award may be selected, High Honors may be awarded to others. Special Mention awards may be made to facilities with outstanding merit in one specific category. High Honors may also be awarded. The judges may select no winners at all, if none seems worthy.
   

ENTRY MATERIAL AND FOLLOW-UP

1. Download Entry Form
   
   

2. Read "How to win a Laboratory of the Year Award"
   
   

3. Entry material and slides will not be returned. All material submitted, including pictures, may be used in R&D Magazine and other Advantage Business Media publications free of charge.
   
   

4. Winners only will be notified on or before February 22, 2009.
   
   

5. The Laboratory of the Year award presentation will take place at the Spring 2009 Laboratory Design Conference.
   

6. R&D Magazine reserves the right to modify or eliminate the formal presentation program.
   

7. Award recipients will be notified before publicity is sent to the media.