To Better Serve and Protect the Community
Forensic investigations depend on precision, reliable evidence handling, and environments that support the complex work of scientific analysis. In New Iberia, Louisiana, the new Acadiana Criminalistics Laboratory brings specialized forensic capabilities together in a purpose-built facility.
Designed to accommodate a wide range of investigative disciplines, the laboratory provides the technical infrastructure and carefully planned spaces needed to support modern forensic science.
Named after District Attorney M. Bofill Duhé in honor of his decades of service, the project took a thoughtful approach to organizing specialized laboratory functions, each with distinct equipment, operational, and environmental requirements.
From evidence intake and storage to examination and analysis, the facility brings together interconnected processes within a coordinated environment. HED provided programming, forensic laboratory planning, laboratory equipment planning, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) planning throughout design development, peer review, and construction, aligning laboratory operations with the building’s supporting systems.
Central to the design is the relationship between evidence handling and specialized analysis. Dedicated environments accommodate forensic biology and DNA testing, chemistry and toxicology, controlled substances, and trace evidence examination.
Each discipline requires space for distinct investigative activities, making careful laboratory planning essential to supporting efficient workflows and the integrity of forensic processes. By considering equipment needs and operational relationships early in design, the team developed a laboratory program responsive to the demands of scientific investigation.
The facility also accommodates specialized areas for firearms and toolmarks examination, crime scene investigation, and evidence intake and storage.
These functions extend the laboratory’s capabilities beyond traditional bench-based analysis, supporting different stages of forensic investigation within a single facility. A vehicle examination bay, gun range, and water tank provide additional settings for specialized investigative work, each introducing unique spatial and technical considerations.
Coordinating these diverse functions required close attention to laboratory equipment, building systems, and the relationships between individual spaces. HED’s involvement across planning, design development, peer review, and construction supported continuity between the laboratory’s programmatic requirements and their implementation. This coordination helped bring together the technical needs of multiple forensic disciplines within the facility’s compact footprint.
Administrative and support spaces complement the specialized laboratories, providing areas for the daily activities that sustain forensic operations. Together, these environments establish a comprehensive facility where scientific examination, evidence management, and operational support are organized around the work of forensic professionals to better serve their communities.
