CLEANROOM VENTILATION | COMMERCIAL OFFICES PAPER D ACCEPTE SE 2022 CIBa Technic lm Symposiu .org/ www.cibse m u si o symp CLEAR EVIDENCE Cleanroom ventilation systems are used to ensure pathogen-free indoor spaces in life science buildings, but can the technology be used in commercial offices? Clean Air Technologies Brendon McManus MCIBSE, Richard Fagg and Steve Robinson put the theory to the test by measuring the clean-up rate in a mock-up of a boardroom M etrics are instrumental in assessing the level of performance in all aspects of life, be it engineering, sport or business tensile strength, lap times, share price; the list is endless. Cleanroom technology for life science buildings is an area that demands particularly robust performance validation; every research establishment or pharmaceutical manufacturers licence application must be supported by validated metrics. The data delivers assurance that the correct levels of operator, product and environmental protection are being delivered by the ventilation systems providing clean, particle- and pathogen-free air to the critical space. With the ongoing Covid pandemic, we believe there is an opportunity for a technology transfer from the established cleanroom design and validation principles to mechanically ventilated spaces in commercial buildings. Covid has highlighted the importance of ventilation in the mitigation of risk from airborne infection in mechanically ventilated spaces. Its essential that equipment that claims to clean air has been tested and validated, as CIBSE emphasised in its 2020 Covid-19 guidance.1 It notes that there was a lack of data supporting the claims of a new generation of air-cleaning systems and technologies. We set out to demonstrate and measure the potential benefits of the technology transfer of the principle of clean-air technologies from the life science sector to offices and other commercial buildings. For many decades, the life sciences industry has employed sophisticated ventilation systems and contamination-control protocols, with the efficacy validated under stringent regulatory guidance. Pharmaceutical products are manufactured in cleanroom environments that control levels of airborne particulate for product protection. We believe the tested system with its associated refined, disciplined and accountable processes provides the framework to improve and quantify workplace ventilation systems. What is a cleanroom? A cleanroom is a room with environmental control of particulate contamination, temperature and humidity, constructed in such a way as to minimise the introduction, generation and retention of particles inside the cleanroom. All cleanrooms are classified based on the number of particles in a cubic metre of sampled air, down to the sub-micron scale, as per BS EN ISO 14644 Cleanrooms and associated controlled environments. Tables 1 and 2 provide 40 June 2022 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE June 22 pp40-42, 44 Cleanroom ventilation.indd 40 27/05/2022 16:34