Cleanroom HVAC design
We design HVAC for cleanrooms and controlled environments: the air change rates, HEPA filtration, pressure cascades and temperature and humidity control that hold a space to its ISO class or GMP grade.
When you need it
- You’re building or expanding a cleanroom, compounding pharmacy or controlled lab.
- A room is failing particle counts, pressure differentials or recovery tests.
- You’re moving to a higher classification or a new regulatory requirement.
- Energy costs are high and you want to reduce air changes without losing compliance.
What we do
Set the requirement
We confirm the process, the required ISO class or GMP grade at rest and in operation, and the room-by-room pressure and environmental limits.
Lay out airflow and pressure
We set air change rates or velocities, filter coverage, return locations and the pressure cascade between rooms, airlocks and corridors.
Design the air system
We size air handlers, HEPA and fan filter units, and humidity and temperature control, with the redundancy the process needs.
Document
We produce drawings, specifications and a sequence of operations, including alarms and monitoring.
Test and certify
We balance airflows, set pressures, and support particle count, recovery and filter integrity testing through certification.
What you receive
- A basis of design stating class, air change rates, pressures and environmental limits
- Drawings and specifications for permit and construction
- A sequence of operations with alarm setpoints
- Balancing and pressure test results to support certification
Questions
How many air changes does a cleanroom need?
It depends on the class, the room size and how much contamination the process and people generate. Published ranges are a starting point; we size airflow to hit the class with margin, and verify it with recovery testing.
Can you reduce the energy a cleanroom uses?
Often, yes. Demand-based air change rates, setback when unoccupied, efficient fan filter units and better heat recovery can cut energy significantly. Any change is verified against the room’s classification.
Further reading
- Filtration: MERV ratings, HEPA and pressure drop
Learn what MERV ratings and ISO 16890 classes measure, when HEPA filtration is needed, and how to balance filter efficiency against pressure drop, fan energy and maintenance in commercial buildings.
- Air change rates and airflow in cleanrooms
Learn where typical cleanroom air change rates come from, how to derive airflow from contamination sources and recovery time, and why overdesigning airflow wastes energy.
- Cleanroom HVAC design: an overview
Learn the main building blocks of a cleanroom HVAC system and the decisions that set its cost, performance and energy use, from classification to commissioning.
- Cleanroom certification and testing
Learn which tests are performed to certify a cleanroom, in what order and how often, and how to read the results and respond to failures.
- Cleanroom energy efficiency
Learn where cleanroom energy goes and the proven measures, from airflow reduction to heat recovery, that lower operating cost while maintaining classification.
- Cleanroom pressurization cascades
Learn how pressure differentials keep contamination flowing in the right direction, how to choose airlock types, and how to calculate and control the airflow offsets that create the cascade.
Related services
Also in HVAC design and design-build: New HVAC design, HVAC design-build, High-efficiency HVAC upgrades, Building automation and BACnet integration, Healthcare HVAC, Restaurant and commercial kitchen HVAC, Data center cooling design, Critical airflow control and air valves.
Get a quote for cleanroom HVAC design
Tell us about the building and what you need. We’ll be in touch within one hour.