Modular Cleanroom Design: How Off-site Pre-fabrication Reduces Construction Time

Why Cleanroom Construction Time Is Important

Cleanroom projects often experience multiple delays because of overlapping site preparations, material lead times, and the need for rework. For example, the construction of a pharmaceutical cleanroom of around 200 m² would generally need 14–18 weeks of construction time, of which 30–40% is wasted on field adjustments after the construction team cuts and fits during cleanroom construction.

While not having a cleanroom is extremely disadvantageous from a company's planning and operational standpoint, the construction delays of cleanrooms is especially disadvantageous for a manufacturing line scheduled to operate and earn revenue of $50,000 per day. To remedy the rework and operational delays, construction innovations like fast-build solutions have redirected construction complexities from the construction site to a controlled factory environment.

Why Do Projects Run Late?

• Conflicts across interfaces with HVAC, structural, and electrical trades
• Erroneously measured site conditions causing panel and duct modifications
• Equipment arrives late and deliveries are poorly coordinated
• Welding, cutting, and grinding on-site increases cleanup time
• Commissioning buffers are not adequate enough for the end of each project

Costs associated with the delays

• Idle labor and equipment rental
• Delayed production starts with lost productivity
• Waste of materials and project value (typically between 5–12%)
• Increased overhead and supervisory costs

What is a Modular Cleanroom?

A system of engineered components (cleanroom), not simply a panel kit. These components include walls, ceilings, HVAC, filtration, and doors & controls, all of which have been designed, fabricated, and tested off-site, and will require minimal adjustment on-site. This strategy creates prefabricated cleanroom components that are of repeatable quality and will install faster.

The modular cleanroom advantages become evident when you compare it with traditional stick‑built construction. Pre‑engineered modules eliminate much of the uncertainty that plagues conventional projects.

Standard modular cleanroom parts

• Wall and ceiling panels of different core materials (50–100 mm thickness)
• Airtight doors and windows
• AHU/MAU systems and HEPA/ULPA filters
• air showers, lighting, and pass boxes
• BMS ready control and monitoring

Modular systems can be customized for room geometry, cleanliness classes (iso 5–8), temperature (18–26°C), humidity (35–90% RH), and pressure cascades.

The Key Benefits of Modular Cleanroom Design

Predictable costs, quality, and long-term flexibility are all advantages of modular clean room systems, alongside their rapid installation. The five benefits detailed below, are supported by project data from Deiiang™ installations.

Rapid construction through simultaneous tasks

During the site construction of cleanroom, modular panels are being manufactured at the factory which can reduce the project duration by 30–50% when compared to traditional construction. This is a core fast-build solutions advantage.

Better quality control

Using jigs and templates improves factory-based production. Tolerances are checked dimensionally and verified before they are shipped. What arrives at the site are pre-manufactured components that need to be installed, thus eliminating the need for cutting on site.

Reduced site disruption and contamination risk

With less cutting, grinding, and welding on site, there is reduced dirt and noise. Also, the cleanroom envelope can be assembled more rapidly, thus reducing exposure time of the critical areas to construction activities.

More predictable project costs

Pre-defined and priced scope is done mostly during the engineering phase. Cost overruns due to field changes are eliminated. When doing a lifecycle cost analysis, you should not include just the initial capitalization cost, but also the cost of energy and the cost of maintenance and future modifications.

Easier future expansion and modification

Modular systems allow adding rooms, relocating equipment, and upgrading to higher levels of filtration with minimal alteration of the building. Planning is essential, as this depends on reserved HVAC capacity, structural provisions, and expandable control systems.

Prefabricated Cleanroom Components Explained

Modular systems start with prefabricated cleanroom components, the building block of the system. Each component is engineered for its specific function and integrated into the overall design.

Understanding these components helps you appreciate how modular cleanroom advantages are built from the ground up.

Wall Panels – A Comprehensive Overview on Chemical Resistance

• Core options: magnesium oxide, rock wool, PU, aluminum honeycomb
• Thickness: 50–100 mm, fire rating of 120 minutes
• Surface finishes: pre-coated steel, stainless steel, electrolytic steel
• Sealing: tongue and groove or cam-lock joints, EPDM gaskets

Ceiling systems

• T-grid or concealed suspension systems
• ffu integration and load capacity for HEPA housings
• Access panels for maintenance and filter change

Doors and windows

• Flush mounted, air-tight designs with automatic bottom seals
• Double-glazed vision panels (standard size: 400 x 600 mm)
• Interlocking options for pressure cascades

HVAC and air handling systems – with ACH & FFU coverage

Deiiang™ has variable frequency AHUs and MAUs with cooling capacities ranging from 15 kW to 270 kW. The units in question typically contain pre-filters, cooling coils, heating coils, HEPA filters, and EC fans. The control panel is capable of Modbus for BMS integration.

Deiiang™ achieves fine control of airflow in the designed AHU coupled with the ceiling plenum to maintain micro-positive pressure (≥25 Pa) and achieve designated air changes (ACH) even with changing filter loads. The table below presents the typical ACH and FFU coverage of ISO classes.

HEPA filtration and terminal units

HEPA filter (H13–H14) is installed in cortains with leak-tight frame. DOP test ports are provided for integrity testing. For ISO 5 and above, ULPA filters (U15–U17) are provided.

pass boxes and air showers

They are made with stainless steel for cleanability, mechanical or electrical interlocks, and UV sterilization.

How Off-site Prefabrication Reduces Construction Time

Reducing construction time is less about speeding up the installation and about rethinking the delivery process. The six steps below present how Deiiang™ manages each of the phases to condense the delivery process while maintaining compliance and quality.

This is where fast-build solutions truly shine, because every phase is optimised for parallel execution.

Modular systems can reduce installation time by 40–60% compared to traditional builds. For off-site fabricated cleanrooms, with adequate planning and coordination, an approximately 300 m² iso 7 cleanroom, that would normally take 16 weeks to build on-site, can be completed in 8–10 weeks.

Deiiang Modular Cleanroom Project Case Study

Deiiang™ facilitated the construction of a Modular Cleanroom System for a Pharmaceutical Manufacturer in Long An, Vietnam, who was setting up a new sterile packaging line. This project consisted of 280 m² of ISO 7 (Grade C) cleanroom space with integrated HVAC, MGO (Magnesium Oxide) 50 mm wall panels, doors, controls, and complete validation support.

User Scenario

A project manager, who was tasked with a production-line upgrade, was given a 10-week window for installation. The client needed a fully functional production line, an internal quality audit compliance check, a clean production line, and a validated facility, at the end of the scheduled shutdown.

Challenges

• Schedule: 10-week requirements including on-site and testing work
• Space: Limited access due to columns within the existing building
• Cleaning: Cutting and welding are prohibited in production areas
• Compliance: FAT, SAT, and complete validation documentation are needed

Deiiang solutions

• Delivery of the Factory-built MGO 50 mm panels and DX-AHU-035 modules
• Conflicts are resolved by 3D Coordinated fabrication
• Panels are ready for control and electrical work and have been tested for logic
• Finished custom fabrication in 6 weeks and 2 weeks of testing

Results

• 6 week on-site construction work (10 week goal)
• 100% first-time pass rate for pressure and cleanliness tests
• No additional work required for panel joints or HVAC fittings
• Validation documents were delivered 2 weeks after testing

Cost Factors of Modular Cleanroom

Cost is the most significant factor in every project and should be considered carefully, especially when the cost is per square meter. However, the price isn't the biggest concern. It is most important that all costs including design, construction, installation, running cost, and cleanroom modification cost, are considered.

Factors influencing cost

• The cleanroom's footprint and height
• Cleanroom class (ISO 5–8) and number of air changes per hour
• Panel rating and fire rating
• Precision temperature and humidity control and Capacity of HVAC
• Number of doors, pass boxes, and air showers
• Location of construction

Initial and cyclical costs

A thinly insulated building, for example, will have a low quote but higher operating costs due to frequent ventilation filter changes. High-quality insulating panels and efficient fans can reduce operating costs by 15–25%.

What a quotation should include

• Design, engineering, and project planning
• All system components, including panels, doors, HVAC, filters, lights and lighting controls
• Transport, packing, and installation on-site
• Support for commissioning, testing, and validation
• Warranty, spare parts, and after-sales support

Project Delivery Process, From Design to Handover

Deiiang™ employs a project delivery process that guarantees transparency for each project phase. The phases and typical outputs are documented in the table below.

Validation & Regulatory Compliance – DQ/IQ/OQ/PQ

Deiiang™ offers speed with compliance through DQ/IQ/OQ/PQ protocols to adhere to EU GMP Annex 1 and US FDA cGMP. This ensures that off-site, pre-fabricated modules undergo initial third-party inspections and approvals.

All documents prepared are structured for easy regulatory submission. At Deiiang™, we offer on-site assistance during the validation execution phase to lessen the client's resource drain.

Checklist on What to Consider Before Purchasing a Modular Cleanroom

Purchase of a modular cleanroom unit goes through due diligence. To help with that, below is a checklist of what to determine on the potential system.

When Is a Modular Cleanroom the Right Choice?

Tall modular cleanrooms are ideal for projects that have compressed time frames, have limited site/space, phased construction, and have a standard/repeating design. However, the time modular cleanrooms are not the best fit is when there are undefined structures, frequent changes in processes, and limited site access is of primary concern.

If your project has identified an exact cleanroom classification, described process loads, and requires rapid, consistent delivery, consider modular construction as an alternative to standard construction methods.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Partner with Deiiang for Your Modular Cleanroom Needs

We offer a complete service for our modular cleanrooms, from the initial drawings to the finished handover. With more than thirty years of experience in cleanroom engineering, we cater to the needs of our clients in the pharmaceutical, electronics, and medical device cleanroom fields in Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Engineering Capability

• Concept drawings, HVAC selection, CFD air flow analysis.
• Load calculations and equipment interface.
• 3D/BIM modeling for clash detection.

Prefabrication Capability

• Dedicated production facilities with ISO 9001 processes.
• Fully automated panel production lines.
• Factory assembly and pre testing of AHU and control modules.

Project Delivery Capability

• Design, manufacture, transport, and install with onsite commissioning.
• Validation and O&M training.
• Global service network with local project managers.

References

• iso 14644-1:2015 Cleanrooms and controlled environments — Part 1: Classification of air cleanliness
• EU GMP Annex 1: Manufacture of Sterile Medicinal Products
• ASHRAE Handbook — HVAC Applications, Clean Spaces
• Chinese Pharmacopoeia (ChP) — Cleanroom requirements for pharmaceutical manufacturing