Imagine the stereotypical biotech lab space: smudge-free counters and walls, blindingly white surfaces, and an array of stainless steel machines, all set up for maximum focus and cleanliness to further the pursuit of innovation. But a new study about the way different kinds of scientists use lab space suggest the one-size-fits-all approach isn’t just aesthetically sterile, it might actually inhibit scientific research, and require a new design approach to fix.

Roughly half of lab workers and scientists identify as neurodivergent, or somewhere on the autism spectrum (double the global average of 20%), according to new research conducted by Advanced Research Clusters (ARC), a British developer of lab space, HOK, a global architecture practice and the University of the West of Scotland. The same survey found the rate of autism among lab workers is 25%, or 25 times the U.K. average.

That’s an opportunity to rethink design and radically change how labs look and operate, says HOK principal Kay Sargent, the firm’s director of thought leadership for interiors. The research found a gaping need for inclusive scientific spaces that holistically look at and rethink auditory, visual, and tactile elements to eliminate sources of disruption and disengagement.

In short, Sargent says, traditional lab design raise a key question: “Are you eliminating the potential for people who are really going to be game changers to be successful?”

Roughly 18 months ago, ARC asked HOK to look into this issue as it impacts lab users, since they were fielding more requests for incubator space for small startups and wanted to improve the types of labs they were building.

A lack of sensory diversity can lead to reduced productivity, poor recall, burnout, stress, and recruitment and retention challenges. The downsides of business-as-usual facilities rarely gets addressed by workers, especially junior staff; just 30% of younger innovators consider themselves neurotypical, the study found.

“Often, neurodivergent employees will manage their work environments by hiding signs of their neurodiversity,” says Dr. Edward Edgerton, a University of West of Scotland, who participated in the research. “However, even when their neurodiversity is recognized, their workplaces can still be exhausting, impacting negatively on their performance and well-being. Few organizations have considered neurodiversity workspace design, particularly for laboratories.”

Life science real estate boomed in the early part of the pandemic, creating an arms race in terms of high-end amenities, outdoor space, and terraces and balconies. But Sargent says that amenity spending, and more comfortable dining and social spaces, doesn’t really solve the distraction problem for workers who spend their entire day within the research and work space. The goal was to create a more human experience for those within wet labs and scientific workspaces.

The solution, according to the research, is to create labs that include biophilia and a variety of workspace options; the layout caters to different levels of sensory input, not “one size misfits all,” as Sargent explains. The focus is on focus itself. The proposed design offers ways to cut down on different types of overstimulation and eliminate the impact of noisy equipment, while also providing more daylight, natural elements, and more choice.

That means bright colored walls to reduce the sterility of labs, but also nooks and crannies with less visual and auditory stimulation for private work. Meeting rooms should have flexible seating that allow for sitting and standing, as opposed to huddling around one large rectangular table. They also recommend reducing sharp edges, plastic and metallic materials, and see-through walls with more private labs and organic materials and shapes.

Sargent believes this kind of design approach offers the same benefits as universal design, which views architecture that make it easier for those with mobility, visual, and other disabilities to navigate a space as having society-wide accessibility benefits. HOK is actually doing a tracking study in one of its own offices, testing the impacts of this kind of design approach, and will continue to study the impacts of its newer spaces, which will utilize a similar approach to user diversity.

“I know no one who isn’t impacted by sound, color, temperature, or texture,” she says. “But what might be annoying for someone who’s neurotypical can be debilitating for someone that’s neurodivergent. They tend to be that canary in the coal mine, and they’re going to feel it first, and they’re going to feel it more intensely. But it doesn’t mean that it’s not impacting every other person in a space.”