Interstate Environmental Commission

Brooklyn, New York | 2021-2022 | 2,800 sf | Lab Planning + Interior Design | Completed

The Interstate Environmental Commission (IEC) is looking to establish a permanent home at BioBAT, located in Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT), to conduct their research dedicated to protecting, conserving, and restoring the environment in the Interstate Environmental District, particularly in water quality. With adjacency to the Upper New York Bay, BioBAT’s facility at BAT is an ideal location for an environmental laboratory and administrative space.  The building has been upgraded with state of art mechanical systems to house any scientific laboratory space.  The massive concrete structure provides stability and the ideal load capacity for heavy equipment. The challenge is the existing shallow floor to floor height at only ten feet compared to the normal fifteen feet floor to floor height for typical lab spaces. Linearscape proposed an efficient layout for arranging the lab benches to minimize the run for mechanical ducts and to mitigate the issues with existing sloped floor. Visual connections throughout the lab space and office space were designed to bring views and light to every corner of the working environment. In order to expedite construction and ensure the flexibility for future expansion, we introduced a modular mobile lab casework system with demountable partitions throughout the space.