Laboratory Furniture Newconcept Corian Benchtop and Reagent Racks Design and Installation by Labline

In response to many requests Labline have developed an exciting new concept in laboratory design. A bench system that has the flexibility to reposition under bench units without incurring exorbitant costs and at the same time is easy to clean.
Labline have now successfully installed the first of these systems at the University of New England's Livestock Institute.

The Livestock Institute is a Co-operative Research Centre where industry funded research projects are carried out for the benefit of Australia's meat and wool industries. The Research Centre consists of two buildings; the Meat Sciences Building and the Woolshed Building. Within these buildings there are a total of 15 laboratories including Immunology, Ruminant Nutrition and Parasitology laboratories.

The agricultural nature of the research and the rustic setting of the University determined that a system of natural colours, that was practical and easy to clean, would be required. To achieve this Labline worked closely with Mr. Graham Johnson, Construction Manager at the University, and Jamison Architects during the entire process. The people using the building and the laboratories are more than happy with the result and can confirm that the design criteria have been met.

DESIGN PRIORITIES

The Institute insisted from the outset that their laboratories be designed in a way that would make it easy to keep the bench surfaces and the entire floor area spotlessly clean. The choice of CORIAN® Solid Surfaces with incorporated bowls for the benchtops ensure that the joins are seamless, almost invisible, with no crevices for dirt to collect in.
At the same time the underbench units are suspended on the steel framing which makes cleaning the floor very easy. Labline's flexible approach to laboratory design and their philosophy to work very closely with clients enabled them to achieve these requirements with an innovative design using the most durable and cost effective materials available. They employed experienced craftsmen who took pride in the quality of their work to build and install the bench units with close attention to detail. The result has proved to be a winner.

THE DESIGN ELEMENTS

Labline's first priority in any design is to keep it simple and practical. They used a continuous back rail on which all the units rest, with the front of the unit clipping on to a front rail. The framework that supports the tops easily supports the underbench units as well. The frames are made from welded, rigid free standing powder coated sections which are easily joined on site to form the lengths required. Only the legs of the frame rest on the floor. At the Livestock Institute Labline achieved a clearance of 220 mm which facilitates cleaning in and around the benches. An additional bonus in the design is that the rails are positioned to automatically create a service duct between the units on the double sided peninsular bench arrangement, or between the units and the wall.
The Institute required that the reagent racks on the peninsular benches could be easily removed to allow more access to the middle of the bench for the placement of large pieces of laboratory equipment. A unique design feature of all Labline systems is the ability to relocate cupboard and drawer units within the framework to accomodate changes in the research being carried out, and new equipment becoming available. The removable reagent racks and the ability to repostion the units from one area to another enables the Institute to make the changes they require easily.

THE BENCH SURFACE

Labline chose CORIAN for the bench surface. CORIAN® is a solid, homogeneous and non-porous product which is inherently hygenic, stain resistant and exceptionally durable. CORIAN's completely impermeable and inconspicuous joins, plus the use of colour matched integrated basins, made it possible to create an aseptic, completely hygienic, crevice-free environment.