We feel we have strived hard to get what we have, companies and investors have got used to the revenues generated, we have all benefitted from the growth of technology and cheap energy and the offer on the table seems to involve us giving these things up; the ‘OR’ feels oppressive.. What flooded into my mind then were the many examples, some experienced personally and some simply read about, that have demonstrated that we can have our cake AND eat it.

Furthermore, given how much energy labs consume compared to an office it may be sensible to improve the performance of an older façade, which will, of course, add cost and programme, and there can be other issues around cladding, for example, some systems and materials used in offices are not accepted by life science businesses and insurers for fire safety and loss prevention reasons.. Office finishes are unlikely to be suitable for lab use, and it is almost always best to complete a full strip-out of the office at the start of a project.

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