A Look at Mysterious Corporate Labs

A Look at Mysterious Corporate Labs

Corporate laboratories are places where design innovation and technological advancements can happen very quickly. As companies opt to downsize their properties and improve efficiency to reduce waste, corporate labs are becoming focused places where projects are often completed in secrecy before they are ready for unveiling. Keep reading for a quick look at a few of the most famous and mysterious corporate laboratories and the innovative architecture behind them.

Skunk Works

“Skunk Works” is the famous nickname of Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Programs. Every aspect of this secretive facility’s architectural design is focused on keeping projects under complete wraps until they are delivered. Among the building’s design elements are wall-mounted speakers that project continuous white noise to mask conversations containing potentially classified information. The Skunk Works building is located in Palmdale, California, and is the birthplace of projects that include the Lockheed Martin X-55 and the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star.

Bike Shop

Raytheon’s “Bike Shop” is similar in purpose to Lockheed’s Skunk Works; however, this Tucson-based laboratory presents a humbler image than the Skunk Works. The Bike Shop is characterized by simple design elements, while team members often purchase testing materials at local hardware stores and set up test beds anywhere they can find space. Although the Bike Shop may appear disorganized, it is a highly-successful creative facility responsible for quick innovation and accomplishment of projects that seem impossible.

DuPont Experimental Station

Located in Wilmington, Delaware, the DuPont Experimental Station has birthed products that include Kevlar, nylon, Tyvek, and neoprene. This sprawling laboratory facility is part of the DuPont Historic Corridor and serves as the worksite for nearly 2,000 researchers. The Experimental Station is characterized by its multi-story red brick and glass buildings, which present a traditional and uniform look throughout the large campus.

Sears Gerbo Architecture can help you design and build a customized laboratory environment to suit your business or research needs. We pride ourselves on architectural design meant to inspire creativity while meeting your daily needs; you can take a look at our recent architectural projects on our website, or call (520) 722-5079 to learn more.