The article provides an overview of the world experience in the design of underground laboratories. Underground research complexes must provide the necessary conditions for conducting experimental research in the scientific fields in which they specialize. An underground scientific research institution should also ensure a comfortable and safe stay of scientific and technical personnel on its territory and satisfy all their social, physiological, psychological and professional needs. Urban planning, volume-spatial and functional-planning organization are regulated by the technical requirements for conducting experiments and research in specific scientific fields: astrophysics, physics of elementary particles and others. The article examines the scientific works of world scientists and architects. The problem of the development of underground space and its urban planning organization was studied in their scientific works by G. I. Hayko, H. Admiral, A. Cornaro, A. Wright, R. Sterling. Strategies and tools for the organization of underground space, as well as the main planning systems of underground urban planning objects, are highlighted in the works of L. Von der Tann. The issue of optimization of the underground space is raised in the works of Paul H. Gilbert, P. Stones. Recommendations on the urban planning and architectural planning organization of underground spaces are found in Joanna Kozytska's doctoral dissertation. The global experience of designing underground spaces is highlighted in the works of T. Jung Heng, N. A. Bakhtadze, V. Biletskyi, N. D. Pankratova. The architectural and environmental organization of the space of underground research complexes is considered in the articles of A. Bettini, Aldo Ianni, E. Kochia. Modern trends in the development of underground buildings and structures are considered in the scientific works of G. I. Hayko and Pankratova N. D. The article presents common architectural features of the organization of complexes. The urban planning, volume-spatial, functional-planning organization of the underground environment of scientific and research complexes is analyzed. Modern trends in the design of underground scientific and research complexes are determined. Characteristic features of the urban planning, volumetric-spatial, functional-planning structure of underground scientific and research complexes are given.