Move Logistics: Ensuring a Seamless Transition to New Laboratory Spaces

In laboratory design and construction, project completion is often assumed to occur when the Construction team receives a Certificate of Occupancy from the local building authority. At DC Beane & Associates, we believe the true measure of success is when scientists are fully operational, with their equipment, processes, and research programs up and running in their new space. 

For one recent project, our client faced a critical milestone: vacating their existing laboratories, without interrupting vital scientific timelines. Our team’s expertise in planning and executing complex laboratory design, construction and moves ensured their transition was efficient, coordinated, and virtually disruption-free.

Strategic Phasing for Zero Downtime

We partnered with the client’s scientific stakeholder and operation teams to develop a phased relocation plan for laboratory equipment and cold storage units. This strategy allowed their teams to remain operational during the move while protecting sensitive research assets.

Key steps included:

• Leveraging DCBA’s Virtual Design & Construction flyover video, which allowed stakeholders to experience the new laboratory space in real time. This immersive visualization not only confirmed alignment on layout, utilities, and adjacencies, but also built confidence in the move sequencing plan before construction was complete.
• Engaging laboratory equipment manufacturers early to define timelines for de-installation, reinstallation, and qualification.
• Using this data to develop a detailed move logistics plan and schedule, indicating when each piece of equipment would go offline in the existing lab and come online in the new space.
• Taking advantage of planned downtime to complete critical maintenance and service upgrades on laboratory equipment.

Clear Communication for Stakeholder Confidence

To ensure alignment, we implemented a visual equipment tagging system. This simple yet effective approach provided transparency for laboratory users and encouraged valuable feedback to validate sequencing.

We also coordinated the safe relocation of consumables, chemicals, samples, and cold storage, while managing final clean-out, decontamination, and proper disposal of outdated materials.

Precision Execution & Vendor Alignment

Our move timeline was carefully structured to ensure efficiency and mitigate risk:

• Two weeks pre-move for equipment de-installation, packing, and bench clean-out
• One week for the physical relocation
• Two weeks per phase for reinstallation and qualification

By aligning our schedule with the construction phase, we secured key third-party resources including equipment manufacturers, EH&S teams, facilities, IT, and specialized logistics providers. This proactive approach eliminated bottlenecks and kept the project on track.

Why It Worked

What made this move a success was not just the logistics, it was our ability to anticipate challenges, communicate clearly, and align all stakeholders around a single plan. From coordinating with EH&S on decontamination procedures to working with IT on networking integrations, our team ensured no detail was overlooked.

At DC Beane & Associates, we specialize in delivering seamless transitions for high-stakes laboratory environments, where downtime is not an option. We understand that laboratory relocations are more than logistics, they are about safeguarding research, protecting investments, and ensuring your teams remain productive. By combining proactive planning, advanced tools like our Virtual Design & Construction flyover videos, and deep experience coordinating with scientific stakeholder groups and their complex laboratory equipment, we deliver seamless transitions with minimal disruption. If your organization is planning a move or expansion, partner with DC Beane & Associates to ensure your science never stops.