To continue ongoing advancements in research, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC) created a 1,180 square feet vestibular research laboratory on the main campus in an existing building. Using various methods, the vestibular lab tests how the body perceives motion and maintains balance.
The lab includes a room to house a large, specialized, articulating piece of equipment called a MOOG chair, requiring a 3’-0” deep concrete foundation. During testing, the room is required to be in total darkness. To achieve this, additional details were required for all penetrations into the room to eliminate any transmission of light. Plus, all exposed structure was painted black.
The remaining space of the laboratory includes a room for spatial navigation, a virtual reality environment, and a 3’-0” x 30’-0” walkway. The walkway is used by the researchers to test a subject’s ability to balance while walking a straight line. The spatial navigation room and the virtual reality environment are used to study the connection between the vestibular and ocular systems. This helps to maintain balance and keeps the eyes focused on an object while the head is moving or while the body is rotating.
Along with the testing spaces, there is a control room for the MOOG equipment, workstations for researchers, and storage equipment.
Andrews Architects worked closely with OSUWMC to verify the efficient use of space and that all requirements were met. This included being on site during construction to verify details were carried out.