Thinking about setting up a general-purpose lab and workshop space. The goal is a hybrid area that can handle chemistry, electronics, woodworking, and light fabrication without turning into a complete disaster. Obviously, layout, safety, and workflow need to be considered, but there are a lot of ways to approach it.
Some key design issues:
>How to separate clean (lab) and dirty (shop) areas without making everything a pain to access?
>Best ways to handle ventilation, dust collection, and chemical safety without overengineering it?
>Power distribution, plumbing, compressed air, and networking—what actually matters and what’s overkill?
>Storage and organization for tools, chemicals, and materials—what works long-term?
>Modularity and future expansion—how to avoid boxing yourself in?
Been using Laboratory Design by H.S. Coleman as a starting point, but more book recommendations would be great. If you’ve built or worked in a similar space, what worked, what didn’t, and what would you do differently?
Post layouts, setups, must-have features, or horror stories of bad lab/shop design. Let’s make this a solid resource for anyone trying to set up a functional space.