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Design Excellence Awards—Learning from Past Winners

Compete for top prizes in Excellence in Innovation, Sustainability, and Safety—entries due by March 17

MaryBeth DiDonna

MaryBeth DiDonna is lab design editor and digital events editor for Lab Manager. Her work for the lab design section of the publication examines the challenges that project teams...

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The fourth annual Design Excellence Awards competition is open for entries! The deadline to enter your lab in this prestigious international competition is March 17, 2023. Labs that have been completed and occupied anytime between January 1, 2021 and January 1, 2023, are eligible to compete for top honors in the categories of Excellence in Innovation, Excellence in Sustainability, and Excellence in Safety. Use your entry form to explain what makes your lab the "best of the best," and demonstrate the unique features and design plans that were utilized in the construction or renovation of your facility.


Lab Manager Design Excellence Awards

Labs from all over the world are welcome to enter this competition. Judges are looking for facilities which make the most of their budget and square footage in order to enable groundbreaking research and discovery, while safeguarding the health and well-being of those who work in the labs.


Below is a list of winners throughout the history of the Design Excellence Awards. Links are included for each year's top winners. Read more about these exceptional labs and the planning involved. Visit https://summit.labmanager.com/designawards for more information and to enter. Good luck!


2022 Winners

Excellence in Innovation Category

Winner: California Institute of Technology Chen Neuroscience Research Building
Submitting firm: SmithGroup

Honorable Mention: Ball Horticultural Company Helix Central Research and Development Center
Submitting firm: Christner Architects


Excellence in Sustainability Category

Winner: California Air Resources Board, Southern California Headquarters, Mary D. Nichols Campus
Submitting firm: ZGF

Honorable Mention: Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact at University of Oregon
Submitting firm: Ennead Architects


Safety Category - Honorable Mention

Winner: Argonne National Laboratory Materials Design Laboratory
Submitting firm: IMEG Corp.


2021 Winners

Excellence in Innovation Category

Winner: University of Michigan Biological Sciences Building & Museum of Natural History
Submitting firms: SmithGroup; Ennead Architects LLP


Excellence in Safety Category

Winner: Texas A&M University Global Health Research Complex
Submitting firm: Perkins&Will


Sustainability Category - Special Mention for Adaptive Reuse

Winner: University of South Carolina Science & Technology Building
Submitting firm: EYP


2020 Winners 

Excellence in Innovation Category

Winner: Eli Lilly and Company Innovation Development Center
Submitting firm: Flad Architects

Honorable Mention: Engineering Research Center, Brown University
Submitting firm: KieranTimberlake


Excellence in Sustainability Category

Winner: Arizona State University, Biodesign Institute C
Submitting firm: ZGF

Honorable Mention: Aerospace & Engineering Sciences Building, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Submitting firm: Anderson Mason Dale Architects


Excellence in Safety Category

Winner: Butte College Welding & Manufacturing Building
Submitting firm: JK Architecture Engineering