If you are planning to build a cleanroom, requirements, airflow patterns, air handling, material selection, and future modification needs must all be coordinated from the very beginning. The decisions you make during the planning phase affect not only the initial classification but also operation, cleaning, maintenance, cost, and how well the solution performs as your operations change.
Many cleanroom projects look good on paper. The drawings are well thought out, the classification is defined, and the technical requirements are in place. But it’s only when the cleanroom is used on a daily basis that the solution truly proves its worth.
That's where the difference often lies.
A cleanroom should not only function properly at the time of handover. It should function properly during production, cleaning, maintenance, when production volumes change, and when new needs arise. It should be possible to work efficiently in the environment without creating unnecessary risks, bottlenecks, or the need for future renovations.
In many projects, the critical issues only become apparent once the solution has already been built: air-handling and filtration systems that don’t integrate with the structure; airflow patterns that seemed logical on paper but prove difficult in practice; material choices that work during installation but require more maintenance than expected; and solutions that meet current needs but become difficult to adapt as operations change.
It is rarely a single detail that causes problems. Often, it comes down to decisions that should have been made earlier in the process.
Here are four questions that often play a major role in determining whether a cleanroom will be a long-term asset—or a future cost problem.
Airflow, pressure, temperature, humidity, and filtration all affect how consistently a cleanroom performs over time. Therefore, plan air handling and filtration solutions in conjunction with the cleanroom’s design, zones, doors, ceiling systems, and actual use.
Don't wait until late in the project to address this issue.
A pattern we see in many cleanroom projects is that different technical components are planned separately. The structural design is handled in one phase, the air handling in another, and the operational aspects in a third. Each component may be reasonable on its own, but can still create problems when everything is supposed to work together during operation.
This could involve pressure conditions that are difficult to maintain at a stable level, airflow patterns that do not support the zoning, temperature or humidity variations that affect the work environment, or a solution that is difficult to adjust when the process changes.
For operations subject to GMP requirements, ISO 14644 classification, or high internal quality standards, such deficiencies can also result in additional work related to follow-up, documentation, and auditing.
That doesn’t mean that a single party should always be responsible for everything. But it does mean that you need to establish your requirements comprehensively and early on. A cleanroom isn’t just a collection of separate components—it’s a system in which the design, air, filters, materials, and usage all need to work together.
“What often determines whether a cleanroom functions properly during operation is whether issues related to air, airflow, and design were addressed early enough. When these issues are addressed too late, it becomes more difficult to manage the project as a whole,” says Marcus Maciejec, CEO/Project Manager at Octanorm Cleanroom.
The question to ask the project team:
Are air handling, filtration solutions, and design planned as a unified whole from the outset—or are they treated as separate parts of the project?
Layout and workflows are an area where many cleanroom projects encounter problems only after the facility is put into operation.
It’s not just about what the blueprint looks like. It’s about how people, materials, products, equipment, and waste actually move through the cleanroom—every day, under time pressure, and with varying staffing levels.
Improperly planned material flows can create bottlenecks at chokes, unclear zones, intersecting movement patterns, and unnecessary steps. This, in turn, can increase the risk of unwanted particles or contaminants affecting production.
In the pharmaceutical, medical device, electronics, and other quality-sensitive manufacturing sectors, such details can have significant practical implications. The placement of a door, an airlock, or a material route may seem like a minor issue during the planning phase, but it can affect daily operations once the cleanroom is in operation.
Cleanrooms are fundamentally about control. This means that movement through the environment must also be controlled.
Therefore, plan the flow of traffic based on how the business actually operates—not just on the building’s physical constraints.
“We’ve noticed that flow patterns are often underestimated at the start of a project. The solution may look simple on paper, but once the facility is up and running, it quickly becomes apparent if people, materials, and products aren’t moving in a well-planned manner,” says Albin Olén, project manager at Octanorm Cleanroom.
Question to ask the project team:
Are the flow patterns designed based on actual use—or based on the building’s layout?
Wall systems, panels, floors, doors, joints, seals, and surface finishes may look fine during the design phase. The difference often becomes apparent only when the cleanroom is used, cleaned, and maintained over time.
The surfaces must be able to withstand the cleaning procedures, chemicals, temperatures, humidity conditions, and cleaning frequencies required by the operation. Joints, seams, and details must be designed to handle the load. Doors, passageways, and connections must function effectively in the practical environment—not just meet the requirements at the time of installation.
Choosing the wrong materials can lead to more difficult cleaning, increased maintenance requirements, damage, repairs, or risk areas that affect the cleanroom's operation.
What seemed like a cost-effective choice during the construction phase may therefore turn out to be a more expensive option over time.
In practice, choosing materials isn't just about product data. It's about understanding how the space will be used, how often it will be cleaned, what chemicals are used, and which parts will be subjected to the most wear and tear in everyday use.
“Many problems in cleanroom projects don’t arise because someone deliberately chooses a poor solution, but because they haven’t taken into account how the environment will actually be used on a daily basis. Materials and details need to work in practice, not just look right on the drawing,” says Albin Olén, project manager at Octanorm Cleanroom.
Question to ask the project team:
Are materials, surfaces, and details chosen based on your cleaning routines, chemicals, temperatures, and cleaning frequency—or primarily based on construction costs?
Cleanrooms are often built to meet current needs. That’s only natural. The problem is that operations rarely stand still.
New products may be added. Volumes may change. Requirements may become more stringent. Equipment may need to be relocated. Processes may evolve. What was the right solution at the start of the project may therefore become a limitation a few years later.
Renovations in an existing cleanroom can be both costly and time-consuming, and they can affect production, quality, operations, and planning. Therefore, consider the issue of future changes right from the start.
Modular and prefabricated cleanroom solutions can give you greater freedom to customize, expand, or modify the environment without having to start from scratch. Plan for that flexibility early on, before the design limits your options.
For businesses that are growing, developing new products, or operating in environments where requirements change over time, flexibility can be more than just a practical advantage. It can be the difference between a solution that adapts to the business—and one that quickly needs to be rebuilt.
“A cleanroom shouldn’t just meet requirements at the start. It needs to function in day-to-day operations, over time, and as the business changes. That’s why it’s important to ask the right questions early on, before blueprints and technical solutions lock in the project,” says Marcus Maciejec, CEO of Octanorm Cleanroom.
Question to ask the project team:
How easy and cost-effective will it be to adapt or expand the cleanroom if the product mix, capacity, or requirements change within three to five years?
Many challenges in cleanroom projects aren't due to someone making an obvious mistake. More often than not, they're because the right questions weren't asked in time.
Air handling, filtration solutions, and the design were not planned with sufficient integration. The airflow patterns were based more on the building’s layout than on the actual work processes of the operation. The choice of materials worked well during installation but not as well during daily cleaning and operation. There was a lack of flexibility when the operation needed to change.
These issues are easier to address early on than later.
Once the drawings, supplier selections, and technical solutions are finalized, every adjustment becomes more costly. That is why the planning phase is crucial.
A cleanroom that stands the test of time is not just a technical project. It is a strategic decision that requires asking the right questions at the right stage.
Are you planning to build or upgrade a cleanroom?
We’d be happy to help you think through the right requirements, functionality, workflows, material selection, and future flexibility before the project is finalized.
The goal is simple: a solution that works in production—not just at launch.
Before building a cleanroom, you need to clarify requirements, airflow patterns, air handling, filter solutions, material selection, cleaning, documentation, and future modification needs. These early decisions affect both the initial classification and how well the cleanroom performs in daily operations over time.
Common mistakes often involve important issues being raised too late in the process. These may include air handling, filter solutions, airflow, material selection, cleaning, future flexibility, and how the cleanroom will actually function in day-to-day operations.
The classification shows that the cleanroom meets certain requirements at a given point in time. However, during day-to-day operations, the cleanroom is affected by staff movement, material flows, equipment, cleaning, workload, and changing needs. Therefore, plan the solution with actual use over time in mind.
Air handling and filtration solutions affect airflow, pressure, temperature, humidity, filtration, and energy consumption. When you plan these aspects in conjunction with the cleanroom’s design, it becomes easier to create a stable solution that performs reliably during operation.
Workflows affect how people, materials, products, equipment, and waste move through the cleanroom. Unclear workflows can create unnecessary risks, inefficient work practices, and a greater risk that unwanted particles or contaminants will affect production.
A modular cleanroom is particularly well-suited when operations may need to change over time. This could involve new products, increased volumes, changing requirements, or the need to expand, relocate, or adapt the environment without having to start from scratch.
Project managers, technical managers, quality control personnel, production staff, facilities/operations personnel, and decision-makers should be involved early on. The cleanroom affects technology, work methods, quality, operating costs, and future flexibility.
We’d be happy to help you think through the right requirements, functionality, workflows, material selection, and future flexibility before the project is finalized.
The goal is simple: a solution that works in production—not just at launch.
Every cleanroom is as unique as the task performed in it. Flexibility in cleanrooms is important, as requirements can change quickly. We are happy to explain how this can be achieved.