North Dakota State Lab

State of North Dakota

Due to increased testing volumes in both public health surveillance and environmental quality functions, the state of North Dakota has started construction on a new State Lab facility to replace a deficient existing building. Located on North Dakota’s State Capitol grounds adjacent to the State Museum, the project includes laboratory functions for both the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Environmental Quality, enabling them to take advantage of shared resources, maximizing each department’s utilization of the facility.

In collaboration with Architect of Record Zerr Berg Architects, BWBR worked with lab scientists from both departments to optimize the building design to support efficient workflows throughout the facility, including space layouts to support sophisticated instrumentation requirements for precise PFAS, heavy metal, and VOC contamination; and dedicated suites for molecular, whole genome sequencing, microbiology, newborn screening, and toxicology testing, with separated sample prep and instrumentation rooms to minimize cross-contamination risks.

A unique “citizen experience” zone highlights the power of science by allowing members of the public to participate in guided tours of many lab spaces without needing to enter or interrupt testing functions. Staff experience will be improved with the inclusion of dedicated break areas, outdoor seating space, private office spaces for each department, and access to daylight within lab spaces.

Project partners: Zerr Berg Architects, CMTA, Cornerstone Commissioning, Kraus-Anderson, Heyer Engineering