Glossary of Terms

What Is a 3-Phase Power in Lab Buildings?
3-phase power deliver steady, balanced electricity for high-demand equipment such as centrifuges, fume hoods, and freezers. All essential for modern life science facilities.

What Is 480/277 Volt Power?
This industrial-grade electrical service supports large HVAC systems and specialized lab machinery. It’s common in research properties requiring continuous power reliability.

What Is an Acid Waste Neutralization System?
An Acid Waste Neutralization System treats acidic or caustic wastewater generated by labs before it enters the building’s plumbing or municipal sewer. The system uses chemical dosing tanks or limestone neutralization pits to bring waste streams to a safe pH range. This is a core infrastructure requirement for wet labs and is often a key distinction between true lab-ready facilities and basic office/flex conversions.

What Is Amperage and Why Does It Matter in Lab Spaces?
Amperage measures electrical capacity. Labs with higher amperage (e.g., 200–400 amps) can support more specialized or energy-intensive operations such as freezers and incubators.

What Is Bench Space?
A Bench Space is the linear work area allocated to an individual researcher within a laboratory. It typically includes lab benches, shelving, and utilities such as gas, water, and power. In leasing terms, “bench space” often quantifies lab capacity (e.g., 100 linear feet of bench space).

What Is Bio-Waste Disposal?
Bio-Waste Disposal refers to the collection, treatment, and removal of biologically hazardous materials generated during lab operations. Tenants typically contract specialized waste management firms separately from building services.

What Is a Biosafety Level (BSL)?
A Biosafety Level (BSL) is a classification system that defines the required containment and safety standards for handling biological agents. There are four BSL categories, 1 through 4, each specifying facility design, equipment, and operational protocols appropriate to the level of biohazard risk.

What Is a BSL-1 Lab?
A BSL-1 lab is designed to work with agents not known to consistently cause disease in healthy adults, such as common non-pathogenic E. coli. It typically requires minimal safety controls and is often found in educational settings or R&D spaces performing basic molecular work.

What Is a BSL-2 Lab?
A BSL-2 lab handles moderate-risk agents that may cause human disease but are unlikely to spread or cause serious illness with standard treatment available. Access is restricted, biological safety cabinets are used, and staff must follow biosafety procedures. Examples include work with Staphylococcus aureus or Hepatitis A.

What Is a BSL-3 Lab?
A BSL-3 lab is a high-containment laboratory used for agents that can cause serious or potentially lethal diseases through inhalation, such as tuberculosis or SARS-CoV. Facilities have directional airflow, sealed windows, specialized HVAC, and rigorous personnel entry/exit protocols.

What Is a BSL-4 Lab?
A BSL-4 lab is the highest containment level, built for work with dangerous and exotic pathogens that pose a high risk of aerosol-transmitted infections and for which no vaccines or treatments exist (e.g., Ebola, Marburg virus). Facilities are completely isolated with dedicated exhaust, supply, and waste systems.

What Is BTUH per Square Foot?
BTUH/SF measures the heating or cooling energy output per square foot. High-intensity research spaces often require higher BTUH ratings for climate stability.

What Is a Build-to-Suit Lab Space?
Build-to-suit lab space is a property constructed or renovated specifically for a tenant’s research or operational needs. In life science real estate, this allows companies to customize HVAC, power, water, and safety systems to meet laboratory standards.

What Is CDA (Clean Dry Air)?
Clean Dry Air is filtered compressed air free of oil and moisture, piped throughout lab buildings to operate instruments or maintain clean-room standards.

What Is a Clean Room?
A Clean Room is a controlled environment where airborne particles, temperature, humidity, and pressure are regulated to prevent contamination. Clean rooms are critical in biotech and pharmaceutical manufacturing for ensuring product purity and safety.

What Is a CLIA Lab?
A CLIA lab is a laboratory certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) to perform diagnostic testing on human samples. It must meet federal standards for quality, accuracy, and proper handling of patient-related tests.

What Is a Core and Shell Lab Space?
Core and shell lab space refers to unfinished or minimally fitted space that includes the building’s structure, base utilities, and essential systems but leaves the lab interiors customizable for the tenant’s specific needs.

What Is Cryogenic CO₂?
Cryogenic CO₂ is carbon dioxide stored at extremely low temperatures, commonly used to supply CO₂ incubators or provide cold-chain cooling for sample transport. In labs, CO₂ helps maintain pH balance in tissue-culture environments and is essential for mammalian cell growth.

What Is a DI (De-Ionized) Water System?
A DI Water System removes mineral ions (such as calcium, sodium, chloride, sulfate) from tap water to produce high-purity water used in sensitive lab processes. DI water is essential for experiments requiring low conductivity, for feeding autoclaves, for tissue culture, and for cleaning scientific equipment. Life-science buildings typically distribute DI water through a central loop or point-of-use units.

What Is a Dry Lab?
A Dry Lab is used primarily for computational, theoretical, or data-driven work rather than hands-on chemical or biological experimentation. These labs often house servers, software modeling tools, and analytical equipment.

What Is a Fume Hood?
A Fume Hood is a ventilated enclosure that draws air away from the user to remove hazardous fumes, vapors, and dust. It protects personnel and maintains containment for experiments involving volatile chemicals or biological materials.

What Is a Lab Fume Snorkel?
A lab fume snorkel (also called a “flex duct hood”) is a movable, articulated extraction arm used to capture fumes, vapors, or particulates directly at the source. It’s common for small-scale chemical work, soldering, solvents, or odors that don’t require a full fume hood.

What Is a Lab Walk-Off Mat?
A lab walk-off mat is a tacky or textured mat placed at lab entry/exit points to remove dirt, dust, and particles from shoes or cartwheels. These mats help maintain clean-room standards and reduce contamination traveling between lab zones.

What Are Lab Color Codes?
Lab Color Codes are standardized color schemes used on architectural drawings and plans to identify different lab functions: Red – GMP/Production labs; Purple – R&D labs; Blue – Support/Analytical spaces; Green – Office/Write-up areas. These visual cues help clarify lab use and regulatory compliance during design and marketing.

What Is Gaseous and Liquid N₂ and Why Are They Needed?
Gaseous Nitrogen (GN₂): Used to create inert, oxygen-free environments, dry samples, purge systems, and operate analytical instruments. Liquid Nitrogen (LN₂): Used for ultra-low-temperature storage (–196°C), cryopreservation of cells and tissues, and cooling mass spectrometers or other equipment. Biology labs rely on both forms depending on their research and storage needs.

What Are the Most Common Gases Used in a Biology Lab?
Typical gases include: CO₂ for incubators and cell culture; N₂ for inert environments, cryogenics, and instruments; O₂ for controlled atmosphere incubators; H₂ for gas chromatography; He for GC/MS carrier gas; Ar for inert shielding; Compressed Air for instruments and utilities.

What Is GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice)?
GMP is a system of regulations ensuring that products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards. In life science facilities, GMP areas must meet strict requirements for cleanliness, documentation, and process validation.

What Is HEPA Filtration?
HEPA filtration removes at least 99.97% of airborne particles ≥0.3 microns. In labs, HEPA filters support clean rooms, biosafety cabinets, and sterile environments by preventing contamination.

What Is HVAC Redundancy in Labs?
HVAC Redundancy refers to backup air-handling systems that maintain constant temperature, humidity, and pressure controls required for sensitive experiments. It’s commonly referenced in lab specifications.

What Is HVAC Redundancy in Life Science Facilities?
HVAC redundancy refers to having backup air-handling systems to maintain consistent temperature, humidity, and pressure controls. It protects experiments and equipment from environmental fluctuations.

What Is ISO Certification in Labs?
An ISO Certification validates that a clean room or facility meets specific ISO standards for environmental control and contamination levels. Certifications are verified through particle count testing.

What Is the ISO Classification System?
The ISO classification system (ISO Class 1–9) defines clean-room cleanliness by allowable particles per cubic meter. ISO 7 and ISO 8 are most common for biotech labs.

What Is a Lab Space Directory (LSD)?
The Lab Space Directory is a digital platform aggregating life-science property listings, reports, and resources. It centralizes market data for biotech real-estate professionals and investors.

What Is a Life Science Campus?
A life science campus is a cluster of research and manufacturing buildings designed to support biotech and pharmaceutical companies, often featuring shared amenities and access to transit or universities.

What Is a Life Science Conversion Property?
A conversion property is a former office, flex, or industrial building upgraded to meet lab standards—typically adding enhanced HVAC, power, and plumbing.

What Is a Mass Spectrometer?
A mass spectrometer (MS) identifies chemical composition by measuring mass-to-charge ratios of ions. Used in proteomics, metabolomics, drug discovery, contamination detection, and molecular characterization.

What Does “Permitted for Class A Lab Use” Mean?
A property permitted for Class A lab use has completed local entitlement and regulatory approvals for lab operations, allowing immediate occupancy.

What Is a Plug-and-Play Lab Suite?
Plug-and-play labs are move-in-ready suites that include benches, casework, and safety systems, minimizing setup time.

What Does “Roll-Up Door” Mean in a Lab Building?
A roll-up door provides wide vertical access for moving oversized laboratory equipment. Common in converted or flex R&D properties.

What Is Rentable Square Footage (RSF)?
Rentable square footage includes usable area plus a proportionate share of common areas such as corridors, restrooms, and utility rooms.

What Are Shared Equipment Rooms?
Shared equipment rooms house autoclaves, centrifuges, cold storage, and other major instruments for use by multiple tenants.

What Does “Spec Suite” Mean in Life Science Real Estate?
A spec suite is a pre-built lab or office space ready for immediate occupancy, reducing move-in time and including essential infrastructure.

What Are Tissue Culture Rooms?
Tissue culture rooms are controlled, enclosed spaces designed for cell and molecular biology work, maintaining stable and clean environments.

What Is a Wet Lab?
A Wet Lab is equipped with plumbing, ventilation, and fixtures needed to safely handle liquids, chemicals, and biological materials.