10. Bio-containment

This chapter compares and contrasts the design of nanotechnology cleanrooms and bio-containment Biological Safety Laboratories. As examples, suiting up in a cleanroom is necessary to protect product or test specimens, while suiting up in a bio-containment facility is necessary to protect people. A parallel important difference between the two types of spaces is that nanotechnology cleanrooms typically have a slight over pressurization with respect to adjacent building spaces to prevent outside contamination from coming into the clean room while Biological Safety rooms are under pressurized to be sure that nothing gets out of the rooms. Design considerations for space organization, construction, ventilation requirements, space outfitting, furnishings, finishes, and fine details are also compared and contrasted. Finally, considerations for collocating cleanrooms and Biological Safety Laboratories are covered and the Birck Nanotechnology Center at Purdue University is used as an example of the trade-offs that must be made when collocating.