Yale transforms historic lab buildings into modern research facilities

When Yale University set out to reinvest in its sciences, the challenge was as much logistical as architectural. The university needed to address finite capital budgets, a dense urban campus in New Haven, Connecticut, and aging heritage buildings while supporting new priorities in data science and environmental and evolutionary sciences.

In Tradeline, Shawn Maley, principal at Stantec, discusses Stantec’s work with Yale to transform two 1960s-era research buildings— Kline Tower and Kline Geology Laboratory—into modern science facilities. The article examines how adaptive reuse, stakeholder engagement, flexible lab planning, and sustainability strategies helped renew the buildings for computational and wet lab research.

The story also looks at Kline Tower’s shift from wet lab building to a computational hub, including new common areas, a triplet staircase, and flexible meeting space. Kline Geology Laboratory is highlighted for its flexible wet lab swing space, early prototyping, infrastructure planning, and daylight strategies.