Champlain Valley's existing hospital laboratory was severely undersized and had various other functional shortcomings. The Hospital commissioned Hyman Hayes Associates to study the feasibility of moving the clinical lab to an off-site building approximately two miles from the hospital. The facility under consideration was a vacant strip mall.

Our feasibility study involved extensive programming meetings with staff members to determine lab space, requirements, room locations, adjacencies, equipment needs, and utilities. A visual review of existing labs, as well as a thorough documentation of existing equipment, was also included in the study.

The report recommended an $875,000, 8,800-sf space based on organizing activities by function and required adjacencies. Public access is from the front of the mall and staff and delivery entrances are located on the side, out of public view. The front of the lab includes reception and waiting areas, with Phlebotomy and toilets directly accessible.

The remainder of the space is focused on lab, support, and employee areas. The lab design is based on an open lab concept, with benches in the middle, offices, storage, and other support spaces on one side, and specialized functions requiring enclosure or separation, located on the other side. A net-to-gross floor area efficiency of 75% was achieved.