How to design an inclusive laboratory 

Making spaces welcoming for neurodiverse researchers is good ethics and good business, says Gary Clark

The planning and design of laboratories usually focuses on two complementary goals: discovery and efficiency. Hence, team members work clustered together along shared benches and workstations, making collaboration easy. 

When research goals pivot, an open environment and flexible workstations allow teams to easily reconfigure a space and evolve. Laboratories’ highly structured physical environments also help to control testing and ensure safety.