Employee Insights: Angela Boyd
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your career and experience? Who is Angela Boyd!
My career began 14 years ago, working on fitout and refurbishment projects. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects, each with its own challenges and unique features that continue to push me to learn and grow every day. I’m currently working as a Construction Manager, focusing on commercial laboratory and workplace fitout projects. The delivery model at Connected is both unique and collaborative, it gives me the opportunity to be involved from the early pre-construction phase right through to project completion.
Q: How does managing life sciences construction projects in Sydney differ from other facility types in Australian metropolitan areas?
Managing life sciences construction projects in Sydney comes with a unique set of challenges that set it apart from more conventional facility types. These projects demand a much higher level of precision, particularly around services integration, compliance, physical containment and clean zone separation.
Sydney’s dense urban environment also means tighter access, stricter local council regulations, and often working within existing buildings, like warehouses or office conversions, which adds complexity when retrofitting high-spec MEP systems required for labs.
Another big difference is the level of early-stage collaboration needed. With life sciences projects, the end users are often highly involved, and their operational requirements, like cleanroom performance, equipment placement, or containment protocols. These specific details need to be locked in early and coordinated across all trades.
It’s certainly a sector that forces you to be proactive, detail-focused, and flexible.. all while navigating a heavily regulated construction and operational environment.
Q: How are sustainability practices and technical performance intersecting in Sydney's life sciences construction landscape?
In Sydney's life sciences construction landscape, sustainability practices and technical performance are increasingly intersecting to create buildings that are both environmentally responsible and technologically advanced. We're working on projects where the services and operational demands are significant, so this opens up the challenge on how we can improve operations efficiencies whilst also improving the sustainability aspect of the client’s business.
The focus is on minimising environmental impact while maintaining high standards of performance in areas such as research capacity, sample throughput, energy efficiency and user health and well-being.
On recent projects, we’ve been integrating solar panels as a simple start to help offset the high energy use that comes with lab equipment and HVAC systems. Where possible, harvesting rainwater to supply deionised water, since rainwater makes a better base for DI systems and helps reduce reliance on mains water as well as maintenance on the plant. We’re implementing energy-efficient evaporative cooling systems as an alternative to traditional HVAC setups. These systems help reduce running costs and minimise water usage, which is a smart move in high-demand environments. Installation of advanced water treatment systems that meet demands of research whilst minimizing water usage. LED lighting installations and energy efficient laboratory equipment all help to reduce the building’s energy demand.
Incorporating sustainable materials, such as recycled materials, low-VOC finishes and non-toxic building products that align with environmental performance while maintaining the technical requirements for lab environments. Incorporating BMS systems to optimise energy and water consumption, monitor environmental conditions, and track real-time data to ensure laboratories are performing efficiently, effectively and at the highest level.
And where we can, we look to improve the thermal performance of the building envelope, things like insulation, glazing, and passive or hybrid ventilation so the HVAC systems are working optimally and as efficiently as possible.
The emphasis is on creating laboratories that are high-performing technically while also addressing environmental concerns such as energy use, waste, and resource consumption. It’s all about building smarter, more efficient spaces that still meet the strict technical requirements that life science facilities demand.
Q: How do you navigate the complexities of stakeholder management when coordinating between scientific requirements, technical consultants, and construction teams?
In complex projects where science, design, and construction intersect, effective stakeholder management is about clarity, trust, and alignment from the start.
I place a strong focus on building a cohesive and qualified consultant team, bringing together professionals with the right mix of qualifications, technical skills, and relevant sector experience. This ensures that every discipline, from laboratory planning to services engineering and construction delivery, is represented by experts who understand the project’s intent and the standards it needs to meet.
From there, I work to create a shared project vision, ensuring that scientific and operational requirements are clearly communicated early, then revisited and reinforced throughout the design and delivery process. Regular workshops, touchpoints, early risk identification and a proactive approach to design coordination help avoid downstream clashes and reduce reactive decision-making on site.
It’s not always easy to align different agendas and expectations, but with the right team and open communication, it’s possible to bridge the gap between scientific precision and practical delivery, ultimately resulting in best-in-class facilities that perform exactly as intended.