In partnership with Goody Clancy, DREAM Collaborative provided design services to transform underutilized offices into an open lab and teaching space for Northeastern University at the Mugar Life Science Building. As one of the first science buildings on campus, Mugar Hall is now home to an assembly of wet labs, dry labs, and administrative space for the College of Science, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, College of Engineering, the Division of Animal Laboratory and Medicine, and Provost-managed core facilities.
To support their growing research practices, the University was in immediate need for new lab spaces. Northeastern identified existing offices on the 4th floor of this Life Science building to renovate into a 2,650 sf state-of-the-art facility of biology wet labs and support spaces. Through programming meetings, our project team worked with researchers and the University planning team to create a layout that maximizes utilization.
The Mugar COSMO Lab provides an open and flexible workbench area for research, collaboration and brainstorming opportunities between staff and students. This open area is surrounded by support rooms for tissue culture and microscopy for easy access by researchers. The welcoming environment offers daylit space, with light reaching deep into all work areas. Systems and infrastructure elements were updated as part of the renovation, including HVAC, plumbing, and electrical services.