Move with the times

When cleanroom design and build specialist Enbloc was commissioned to refurbish a large sterile suite for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) Trust, it was advised that production would have to continue while the refurbishment was being carried out.

The solution provided by Enbloc was to employ its proven portable cleanroom. The modular building is generally of steel construction, has excellent thermal insulation, conforms to strict building regulations and has a design life of 60 years.

The relocatable building is also fully weather-proofed, modern in appearance and is complete with concealed guttering and flush windows and doors.

Enbloc engineered the internal design layout, and this was approved by the client prior to the work commencing. This particular portable cleanroom measured 10m x 4m x 3m high, but the buildings are also avail-able in a variety of other sizes and they can even be double-stacked if space is limited.

The portable building was delivered to the site on a low loader lorry and then carefully craned into position on an existing hard surface close to the current building. Enbloc then constructed a fully covered walk way from the existing building to the new portable building, providing a secure passage for personnel entering and exiting the cleanroom. The covered walk way included internal lighting and a vinyl floor covering.

Once in place the internal fit-out of the portable building could then commence. New single line cleanroom partitioning was installed to provide an entrance lobby, a first and second stage change, a GMP grade C corridor and two GMP grade B cleanrooms. All electrical services were taken down through the partitioning in pre-installed conduits and were terminated flush with the partition. A suspended ceiling was formed, incorporating flush lighting and HEPA filter fan units. The fan filter units achieve around 80 air changes per hour in the GMP grade B cleanrooms. Low-level return air ducts where strategically placed within the facility for maximum effect and the facility was fully air-conditioned with an externally mounted condensing unit, which provides comfortale conditions for the operators.

A hard-wearing 2.0mm thick vinyl floor was laid throughout the facility. High quality fixed phenolic resin work tops were installed within the GMP grade B cleanrooms, together with two Class 2 safety cabinets. The second stage change area was also fitted with a removable stainless steel step over barrier.

Room pressures in the building can be monitored using magnahelic gauges housed in a control cabinet mounted within the entrance lobby. Enbloc is also a distributor of a new wireless temperature, humidity and pressure monitoring system that works on a radio frequency, which can be offered as an option. An intruder alarm was also provided offing greater security and peace of mind for the client.

The whole fit-out took just four weeks and Enbloc’s full in-house team of certificated engineers were responsible for the final commissioning and validation to achieve stringent GMP grade B and C classification.

Enbloc’s senior project manager Alan Davies said: “We were particularly pleased with the high quality laboratories which were designed and built around client’s free issue safety cabinets. The design allowed for cost-effective modifications to the suite layout, should the clients requirements change.”

This unit was hired by the client for a period of 18 weeks and has proved so successful that Enbloc has recently been commissioned to organise the relocation of this unit to another NHS site.

Enbloc is also able to offer a full turnkey package for all cleanroom types along with validation and testing done by their in-house validation team.