Labs

Zarkon Group Real Estate Builders & Developers > Blog > Labs

Tag: Labs

Recycling single-use plastic waste from labs
CategoriesSustainable News

Recycling single-use plastic waste from labs

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Disposable plastics have become a crucial part of research and healthcare, especially for consumables like syringes and test tubes that need sterilisation. A lot of this laboratory and clinical plastic waste is sent to landfill or incinerated without a specialised recycling service.

This linear economy takes its toll on the environment. According to one study, lab-derived plastic waste could amount to 5.5 million tonnes a year around the globe. To address the problem, LabCycle has opened the UK’s first pilot plant that can recycle up to 60 per cent of plastic lab waste to make new lab equipment.  

Members of the LabCycle team have experience working in laboratories and were shocked by the amount of single-use plastic consumables that people had to go through in their daily work lives. In response, the company developed technology that enables contaminated plastic waste to be recycled from the laboratory to manufacture lab- and medical-grade consumables, promoting a circular economy approach within the research and healthcare sectors.  

After it is decontaminated, the plastic is turned into high-grade pellets the size of rice grains, which are then sent to LabCycle’s manufacturing partner to be transformed into new lab equipment like test tubes and Petri dishes. Waste doesn’t need to be sterilised beforehand, meaning less heat energy is required, and the company also specifies that water for the process can be reused, further reducing the environmental impact. 

LabCycle has recently set up its pilot recycling plant in a converted greenhouse on the University of Bath campus, and will be using the plant to recycle waste from the university’s engineering and science labs. The company is also working closely with the local NHS Blood and Transplant to repurpose their plastic waste. 

Single-use plastics pose a serious danger to the environment, but promoting a more circular economy can give these plastics a chance to be used again, instead of quickly being thrown into landfill. In the database, Springwise has spotted many innovations looking to boost circular practices, like trainers made from recycled waste materials or on-demand data that makes recycling easier.

Written By: Anam Alam

Reference

Foster + Partners completes DJI headquarters with cantilevered drone labs
CategoriesArchitecture

Foster + Partners completes DJI headquarters with cantilevered drone labs

By Zarkon Group,

British architecture studio Foster + Partners has completed two skyscrapers for drone manufacturer DJI in Shenzhen called DJI Sky City, which are connected by an open-air suspension bridge over 100 meters above the ground.

DJI Sky City consists of a pair of 200-metre-high skyscrapers that house the headquarters and innovation centre of Shenzhen-based robotics company and drone specialists DJI.

Image of DJI Sky City from a nearby park
DJI Sky City was designed by Foster + Partners

The two skyscrapers are connected by a 90-meter-long suspension bridge, which is located over halfway up the structure, 105 metres above the ground.

The bridge will be attached to each of the towers vertically slatted cores, which both support a series of steel truss-encased, glass volumes that were stacked and cantilevered on top of one another at varying heights.

Detail image of the exterior of DJI Sky City and its suspension bridge
It is comprised of two towers which are connected by a suspension bridge

The cantilevered blocks contain column-free office spaces that were made possible by the building’s external truss systems. Some of the column-free interior spaces contain four-storey high dedicated drone flight testing labs.

The ground floor houses the building’s public facilities, including a community healthcare centre, as well as its lobbies that each contain an indoor “zen” garden that extends from a rammed earth feature wall.

“Drone technology has changed the way we experience the world around us while pushing the boundaries of aerial possibilities,” said Foster + Partners.

“We have enjoyed using DJI products for more than a decade,” the studio added. “We are delighted to have partnered with DJI in creating their new headquarters in Shenzhen, which will be the company’s premier center of research and innovation.”

Image of the suspension bridge at DJI Sky City
The bridge is 105 metres above the ground

According to the studio the floorplates were organised to maximise daylight in the interior spaces while its twin lift system maximises internal office floor area.

At the top of the buildings each of the cantilevered volumes has a rooftop gardens with views across Shenzhen as outdoor spaces for DJI employees.

Interior image of a drone flight lab at the Foster + Partner-designed building
The skyscrapers contain four-storey drone flight labs

Renders and a fly-through video of the building were first unveiled in 2018, detailing its vast drone and robotic testing facilities.

Earlier this year in Shenzhen, architecture firm SOM completed its headquarters for Shenzhen’s Rural Commercial Bank, which featured a steel lattice facade that resembles an exoskeleton.

The photography is courtesy of DJI.

Reference