Designing the Future of Federal Research through Modular Intelligence
For a confidential federal client, HED was asked to reimagine not a single laboratory, but the process of how laboratories are conceived. The result was the Strategic Adaptable Innovative Lab (SAIL) a digital tool and design framework that transforms how scientific facilities are planned, programmed, and costed.
Born from a collaboration between architects, engineers, and federal science leaders, SAIL is both a concept and a system: a modular, data-driven platform that allows scientists and project teams to prototype their own laboratory configurations in real time. The interface, developed in HYPER, Excel, and REVIT, lets users select functional components—lab modules, computation areas, shop spaces—and arrange them within a defined grid. As each element is placed, the software generates a three-dimensional Revit model and a corresponding cost estimate, integrating spatial, mechanical, and financial intelligence into a single action.
The grid-based system captures the essence of flexibility and foresight. Each module incorporates key engineering infrastructure—power, HVAC, plumbing, ICT—so that facilities can adapt as research priorities evolve. Whether a team needs a wet lab, computational workspace, or fabrication area, SAIL provides a starting point grounded in technical precision and responsive design logic.
Developed for a multistory context, the framework supports scalable facility planning that bridges the gap between concept and construction. It also introduces a new level of transparency for programmatic decision-making. Scientists and facility managers can now test, compare, and refine configurations without waiting for full design cycles, reducing the time and cost typically lost in early-stage iteration.
The SAIL project was built around a simple but radical premise: that the process of designing a lab should be as dynamic and experimental as the science conducted within it. To achieve that, HED worked closely with the client’s end-users, subject matter experts, and stakeholders to identify core facility types and define a system of modular “building blocks” tailored to each. The outcome is a menu-based tool that streamlines programming for future facilities, allowing teams to move rapidly from user needs to conceptual design, and from conceptual design to construction-ready clarity.