Basic Documentation

Room Pressurization Control Application Guide
Isolation Room Changeover
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) guidelines
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do not permit the same room to be
alternately used for both Infectious and Protective Isolation. Note that Figure 7 and Figure 8
show a location of the supply diffuser and exhaust grills that is different for infectious and
protective isolation rooms.
Clean Rooms
The demand for high quality pharmaceutical products and the continual miniaturization of
electronic components has created an increasing need for contamination control in their
associated processing and manufacturing areas. Maintaining the required degree of purity in
these areas is highly dependent upon room pressurization to prevent contamination.
Particulate Contamination
Particulate that can contaminate products comes from a variety of sources, including:
• Occupants within the clean room
• Atmospheric dust
• Condensation of vapors
• Bacteria
• Chemical fumes
Keeping these contaminants within acceptable levels requires a coordinated approach, which
includes:
• Proper Room Design—High purity clean rooms cannot normally be obtained by
conversion or by upgrading existing non-clean areas. Clean rooms typically need to
be initially designed with sufficient height and ancillary space (space above and
below the clean room) to house the large amount of specialized air handling and
filtering equipment necessary.
• Architectural & Physical Barriers—Clean rooms must be constructed of materials
that will not release airborne particulate. Physical barriers (walls, ceilings, material
joints, etc.) must also be meticulously sealed. Adjacent spaces and other support
areas are often required to be constructed similar to the clean room itself in order to
act as buffer zones between the clean and unclean spaces.
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American Institute of Architects 1996 -1997 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospital and Health Care Facilities.
30 Siemens Building Technologies, Inc.