Tech is hotter than ever in SoCal, but what do these tenants want and need in their space? We asked Taylor Design's Philip Pipal, who's leading his company's expansion into the science, technology and education markets.

What kind of lab space do companies want now?

Philip tells us clients are redistributing the research space to a larger percentage of "dry" lab space than before. The company's work on the bench is becoming more virtual, with the science being modeled in the computer. "These dry spaces could be segregated from the lab in order to reduce operating-HVAC—costs, but many researchers need the computational space directly adjacent to the wet lab."

Are the robots coming?

Another trend is the increase in the amount of automation, Philip says. Benches that once were a scientist’s workstation are increasingly being repurposed to host complex robotic equipment systems. But people are hardly out of the picture. "Outside the lab, there's a big focus on amenity spaces to attract the best and the brightest," Philip explains. "There's a shortage of talent in the field, which is generating a lot of competition." Philip brings 34 years of experience to his role, having completed the design of labs, R&D facilities and variety of higher ed facilities.

What's cutting-edge in educational space?

Philip says education clients are addressing distance learning by adding small studios and webinar recording booths into the mix of classroom functions, where faculty can prepare content offline. These rooms aren’t necessarily replacing the classroom, and there's still demand for good bricks-and-mortar teaching space, but web-based teaching will only continue to grow. "A recent client, a business school, says that for every body in a seat in the building on campus, the school averaged seven students attending online, which is a telling statistic.”