It strongly depends on the lab course and the skills of the students. The mor demanding the lab course in comparison the students' skills, the higher the workload for supervisors. It is good to supervise if you have about 10 ... 15 students. If you have more than 25 students, it is normally a lot of stress and you do not have enough time for the individual student so that the students with lower performance will get a low learning experience.

If we do group work, we prefer student groups of 2-3 persons. So everybody has to do a job and nobody can do the lab course with the work of the group members.

Thanks for sharing experience.

The size of engineering laboratories depends on the way universities or institutions deal with their courses and students.

If they are just looking at conducting exams and giving certificates, then the investment on labs will be nominal.

Otherwise accelerated laboratory exposure will be given to students.

Hope this link gives some useful information

https://www.wbdg.org/building-types/research-facilities/academic-laboratory

GENERAL LABORATORY DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

1. Relationship Between Wet Laboratory Spaces and Other Spaces

Modern laboratories, particularly in academia, often have contiguous spaces that include wet laboratories, computer laboratories, instruments, write-up spaces, office areas, and other spaces with varying degrees of chemical use and hazards. Maintaining a positive safety culture and at the same time meeting the safety and comfort needs of laboratory personnel are challenging under these circumstances.

Wherever possible, separate wet chemical areas or those with a higher degree of hazard from other areas with a physical barrier, such as a wall, divider, or control device. The objective is to protect the computer laboratory or otherwise low-hazard area from the risk of the higher hazard, and thus eliminate the need to use protective equipment in the low hazard area.

When such areas cannot be physically separated, or where the risk cannot be eliminated completely, individuals working at the computer or in the write-up area need to evaluate what level of protection may be needed to control the risk of exposure to the hazards in the other areas. For example, all individuals in a computer laboratory must wear eye protection if there is a risk of eye injury from operations in a contiguous area.

1.1. Relationship Between Laboratory and Office Spaces

Almost all laboratory personnel require both laboratory and office support space. Their desire to be aware of procedures and to have a constant presence in the laboratory usually demands that office space be located near the laboratory. The need for personnel safety, evolutionary technology allowing for computer-based research and data monitoring outside of the laboratory, as well as a desire to foster better interaction between researchers has driven the offices outside the laboratory proper.

Locating all offices outside the laboratory environment allows for a safer workspace where food can be consumed, quiet work can be done, and more paper and books can be stored. Locating the office zone very close to or adjacent to the laboratory for easy access and communication is desirable.

Some laboratories have office spaces within research areas. In this design, it is best to have an obvious separation between the laboratory area and the office area using partitions or, at a minimum, aisle space, but preferably using a wall and a door that can be closed. Occupants should not have to walk through laboratory areas to exit from their office space. Visitors and students should not have to walk through laboratories to get to researchers' offices, because those persons do not have personal protective equipment (PPE). (See Vignette 9.1.)

VIGNETTE 9.1

Appropriate use of personal protective equipment in shared spaces. In both these incidents, the research laboratories contained writing spaces with computer workstations and desks that were separated from the working part of the laboratory by only an (more...)

2. Open Laboratory Design

Traditionally, laboratories were designed for individual research groups with walls separating the laboratories and support spaces. Group sizes ranged from 2 to 10 people, and most groups were completely self-contained, each with its own equipment and facilities Open versus closed laboratory design.

Since the 1990s, the trend has been for researchers to collaborate in a cross-disciplinary nature; chemists, biologists, physicists, engineers, and computer scientists work together on a common goal. At the same time, laboratory designers have moved to open multiple-module laboratories that allow a wide variety of configurations for casework and equipment setups. These laboratories often support large or multiple teams and are configured with relocatable furnishings.

Even when not using a multidiscipline approach, many facilities have moved toward larger, more open laboratories with the belief that working in teams raises overall productivity, promote open communication, and facilitates resource sharing. Team sizes, in some disciplines, have risen and are frequently as high as 12 to 20 individuals.

2.1. Considerations for Open Laboratory Design

There are advantages and disadvantages to open laboratory design.

Advantages include

visibility among researchers;

better communication and collaboration;

easy to share resources, including equipment, space, and support staff;

flexibility for future needs because of open floor plan with adaptable furnishings;

significant space savings compared with smaller, enclosed laboratories; and

cost savings (first building/renovation costs and ongoing operating costs) compared with smaller, enclosed laboratories.

Disadvantages and limitations include

for large spaces, challenging to balance the ventilation system;

limitations to the size or placement of the laboratory (e.g., the floor of the building, the type of research) because of chemical storage code limitations for flammable and other materials;

need for isolated spaces because of specific types of work being conducted, such as cell or tissue work where cross-contamination is an issue, use of certain radioactive materials, lasers, materials requiring special security measures, glass-washing facilities (see section 9.B.3 for more information);

challenge of storing chemicals and supplies when there is a lack of natural spaces created by walls and other fixtures;

noise from people and equipment may be higher than in a closed laboratory; and

inability of some researchers to work effectively in an open laboratory environment.

Design teams should work with the research teams to find solutions that accommodate the needs of the researchers as much as possible. A combination of open laboratory spaces with smaller areas dedicated to special functions is often necessary.

3. Closed Laboratories and Access

Closed or separate laboratory spaces are often necessary for certain functions because of the nature of the operation, equipment needs, or security concerns. These areas may or may not be separated with a door. The need for a door and access control should be examined carefully for code requirements, safety protocol, and containment concerns.

The following issues should be considered:

Do the exits require doors by code?

Must the corridor walls, doors, and frames be fire-rated by code?

Is containment of spills or smoke an issue that demands doors?

Is noise an issue that demands separation and attenuation?

Does the need for room air pressure control necessitate a door closing the laboratory space off from other areas?

Does the work present a hazard that requires that access by untrained personnel be controlled?

Do some materials or equipment present a security risk?

Do the materials require compliance with biosafety guidelines?