Based on actual engineering cases of medical laboratories and combined with a large number of design and construction drawings, this chapter elaborates on the content related to the overall engineering design of medical laboratories.

Section 1 Overall Engineering Design Cases for Medical Laboratories

I. Floor Plan Planning and Design

1. Floor Plan of an Independent Laboratory

This case involves a certain biotechnology company. The building is of frame structure with newly finished premises, and the independent laboratory is located on the third floor, with a floor area of 1,100 m².

In this case, the "three zones and two corridors" layout is adopted to achieve the function whereby the three zones of the laboratory are both differentiated and connected. Communication and connection between the different zones are realized through indoor corridors, and an access control system is installed at the entrance of the changing room. Because this case involves newly finished premises, apart from the masonry walls of the restrooms and stairwells, no masonry partition walls had been built indoors in the original building. This makes it all the more convenient to carry out a completely new planning and design, as shown in Fig. 9-1. A main corridor is planned in the middle of the entire floor to connect the functional areas on the north and south sides. The west side of the building is an area that can easily be separated out, and this area is planned as the clean zone (office area). From the clean zone, one first enters the biochemistry and immunology room through the changing room. This area is designed as one large open bay for placing the biochemistry analyzers and central benches, and it faces the large floor-to-ceiling windows on the south side, providing excellent daylighting. Passing through the biochemistry room, one enters the molecular diagnostics area, where an inner corridor connects a group of ten molecular diagnostics functional rooms. To facilitate placement of the cold storage main unit, the cold storage is arranged at the southeast corner of the building. Between the cold storage and the northeast stairwell is a relatively out-of-the-way location, and the air-conditioning main equipment room is designed at exactly this position, making full use of this area.

The building is of the north-south through-ventilation type, and the north side likewise has good daylighting and ventilation. The grossing room of the pathology department requires ventilation by an exterior window and is therefore designed right at the northwest corner. The pathology department and PCR together completely fill the north area of the building. At the northeast stairwell entrance, a washing and decontamination room is planned to facilitate the removal and transport of medical waste. To reflect the contemporary character of modern medical laboratories and to comply with the relevant standards for medical laboratories, color steel plate partition walls are used throughout the laboratory. To meet the cleanliness requirements of the laboratory, color steel plates are also used for the suspended ceilings in the molecular diagnostics and PCR areas.

Taking into account the existing condition of the building and national biosafety regulations, the entire layout of the laboratory is divided according to the three flows and three zones. The three zones of the laboratory are: (1) Clean zone (i.e., the office area), containing the meeting room, printing room, bioinformatics room, archive room, and UPS power distribution room. (2) Semi-contaminated zone: changing room. (3) Experimental zone: the pathology department contains the grossing room, sectioning and embedding room, slide preparation room, slide reading room, and culture room; the clinical laboratory department contains PCR, temporary waste storage room, molecular diagnostics room, biochemistry and immunology laboratory, reagent storage, cold storage, disinfection room, and equipment room.

Fig. 9-1 Original structural drawing

In the legend of the figure below, the green part is the clean zone, the yellow part is the semi-contaminated zone, and the red part is the contaminated zone, as shown in Fig. 9-2. Fig. 9-2 Three-zone drawing

The "three flows" are divided into: specimen flow, medical staff flow, and waste flow. The personnel flow and logistics are rational so as to avoid cross-contamination. A laboratory access control management system is in place, and only staff members may enter and exit. Warning signs and biohazard signs are posted. Personnel flow and logistics are separated, and contaminated items and clean items are segregated. Medical waste has a dedicated exit corridor. The specimen flow, medical staff flow, and waste flow are separated, as shown in Fig. 9-3.

Fig. 9-3 Three-flow drawing

2. Floor Plan of the Pathology Department

A hospital in Luoyang occupies a total site area of 109 mu, with a total floor area of 140,000 m², and the finished area of its pathology department is approximately 1,087 m². The building is of frame structure with newly finished premises. Where the masonry portion exceeds 4 m, a structural column must be added; the remaining portions all use lightweight partition walls.

The zoning of the pathology department is differentiated according to the experimental function and the diagnostic office function. The experimental zone is in effect one large airborne-contamination zone; to prevent contaminated odors from spreading into the diagnostic office area, the experimental zone needs to be relatively independent and enclosed. The overall workflow of the pathology department is to carry out diagnosis after various experimental treatments.

Pathology department experimental zone: this space contains the functions of specimen reception, grossing, specimen storage, dehydration, embedding, staining, sectioning, immunohistochemistry, and hazardous goods storage. This experimental zone is designed to be relatively independent, with a relatively open space and rational zoning. The workflow from grossing to sectioning can be handled internally. There are three immunohistochemistry rooms in total, adjacent to the technical area yet relatively independent, which is quite rational.

Pathology department diagnostic office area: it contains a number of diagnostic rooms, consultation rooms, multi-head microscope viewing rooms, offices, and so on. A meeting room and a teaching/demonstration room are also required. The contaminated zone and the diagnostic zone are clearly divided into blocks, and the workflow is appropriate.

Cell laboratory and archive room: because the cell workflow is somewhat more independent than other experimental processes, it is placed separately and closer to the elevator, so that patients undergoing puncture can conveniently reach this area. The archive room uses compact shelving. The advantage of this kind of compact shelving is that it saves space, but if such shelving is to be used, the floor load must be designed and built larger in advance. The cell room and archive room can be placed together with the contaminated zone, which is more rational.

In actual design work, on the basis of adhering to safety standards, rational workflows, and comfortable space, each hospital's pathology department also has its own distinctive features. Only by considering the actual situation of the hospital and combining it with the user's practical needs can a more refined design be produced.

On the original architectural drawings, the laboratory plan of the original building did not conform to the "three flows and three zones" workflow of a laboratory and therefore could not meet the code requirements for a pathology department. Thus there was an issue of secondary design: all walls of the original building were demolished and a completely new planning and design was carried out, as shown in Fig. 9-4. In the legend, the green part is the clean zone, the yellow part is the semi-contaminated zone, and the red part is the contaminated zone. In this way the division into three zones becomes very clear and distinct, as shown in Fig. 9-5. In this case, the original building was analyzed in detail, and it was decided to adopt the form of "separate zones and separate corridors" to rationally divide the laboratory area. Medical technicians enter the clean zone (office area) from the elevator hall, change into work clothes in the changing room, and then enter the contaminated zone. The contaminated zone is also planned with a corridor running through the entire experimental zone, passing through the washing and decontamination room to the waste elevator.

Taking into account the existing condition of the building and national biosafety regulations, the entire layout of the pathology department laboratory is divided according to the three flows and three zones. The three zones are: (1) Clean zone (i.e., the office area). The pathology department has the director's office, male and female duty rooms, teaching room, and reference room. (2) Semi-contaminated zone: male and female changing/shower rooms. (3) Pathology department experimental zone: containing specimen reception, sample processing, grossing room, puncture, sectioning room, cell room, immunohistochemistry, staining and embedding, molecular pathology, diagnostic room, consultation room, specimen preparation, paraffin block storage, cold storage, archive room, and washing and decontamination room.

Fig. 9-4 Original structural drawing of the pathology department

Fig. 9-5 Three-zone drawing of the pathology department

The three flows are divided into: specimen flow, medical staff flow, and waste flow. The personnel flow and logistics are rational so as to avoid cross-contamination. A laboratory access control management system is in place, and only staff members may enter and exit. Warning signs and biological hazard signs are posted. Personnel flow and logistics are separated, and contaminated items and clean items are segregated. Medical waste has a dedicated exit corridor. Patient flow and physician flow are separated, as shown in Fig. 9-6.

Fig. 9-6 Three-flow drawing of the pathology department

3. Floor Plan of the Blood Transfusion Department

The blood transfusion department of a hospital in Nanchang is located on the first floor, with a finished area of approximately 723 m², excluding common areas. The building is of frame structure, being a renovation of an old building. Where the masonry portion exceeds 4 m, a structural column must be added; walls and columns are plastered and coated with latex paint on both sides, and the remaining portions all use color steel plate partition walls. The floor height is 4.5 m.

In this case, the room shape of the original building is an irregular structure, making the design extremely difficult. To the east is the entrance lobby of the building; the atrium is a public area connected with the lobby. The blood issue room, blood collection/receiving room, and transfusion compatibility laboratory are arranged around the atrium, cleverly utilizing the space of this atrium area. Moreover, the atrium is a daylighting light well with excellent daylighting.

The specimen receiving windows of the blood issue room, blood receiving room, and transfusion compatibility laboratory open toward the atrium, so it is very convenient for hospital porters to enter the atrium from the lobby to deliver and collect blood bags. A "C"-shaped internal corridor is planned around the transfusion compatibility laboratory and PCR, completely connecting the different functional areas of the entire blood transfusion department. The director's office and meeting room adjoin the south exterior windows, with very good ventilation and daylighting. Because both the transfusion treatment room and the storage-type blood collection room must open doors toward patients, a small waiting area is designed in this area, connected with the east lobby, making it exceptionally convenient for patients to enter the area.

In this case the personnel flow and logistics comply with the standards and make full use of the good ventilation and daylighting inherent in the building structure itself; it is a successful case of a blood transfusion department laboratory.

The original building was premises for the pathology department and was completely incompatible with the professional standards for a blood transfusion department. During the secondary design, all walls of the original building were demolished and then a completely new planning and design was carried out. In the legend, the green part is the clean zone, the yellow part is the semi-contaminated zone, and the red part is the contaminated zone.

The entire layout of the blood transfusion department laboratory is divided according to the three flows and three zones. The three zones of the laboratory are: (1) Clean zone, containing the blood issue room, blood receiving room, blood handling room, blood storage room, blood irradiation room, aseptic operation room, transfusion treatment room, storage-type blood collection room, and UPS. (2) Semi-contaminated zone (i.e., the office area): director's office, doctors' office, meeting room, reference room, changing room, male and female duty rooms, and restroom. (3) Blood transfusion department experimental zone: containing the specimen processing area, transfusion compatibility laboratory, blood type reference testing area, transplantation matching room, PCR, and washing and decontamination room.

The building facilities of the blood transfusion department should meet hygienic standards, with a rational layout, divided into rooms and zones according to the workflow; there should be a clean zone, a semi-contaminated zone, and a contaminated zone, with clear markings in each room or area. Blood storage and issue points, the blood irradiation room, storage-type blood collection room, and transfusion treatment room are located in the clean zone; blood testing and handling rooms are located in the contaminated zone; and the director's office, doctors' office, meeting room, reference room, changing room, and male and female duty rooms are located in the semi-contaminated zone, as shown in Fig. 9-7 and Fig. 9-8.

Fig. 9-7 Original architectural drawing of the blood transfusion department Fig. 9-8 Three-zone drawing of the blood transfusion department

The three flows are divided into: patient flow, medical staff flow, and waste flow. The personnel flow and logistics are rational so as to avoid cross-contamination. A laboratory access control management system is in place, and only staff members may enter and exit. Warning signs and biological hazard signs are posted. Personnel flow and logistics are separated, and contaminated items and clean items are segregated. Medical waste has a dedicated exit corridor. Patient flow and physician flow are separated, as shown in Fig. 9-9.

Fig. 9-9 Three-flow drawing of the blood transfusion department

4. Floor Plan of a Stem Cell Laboratory

The finished area of a certain stem cell laboratory building is approximately 2,200 m². The building is of frame structure with newly finished premises. Where the masonry portion exceeds 4 m, a structural column must be added; the remaining portions all use color steel plate partition walls.

In this case, the entire layout is divided by floors and zones into public areas and experimental zones, with the public areas located mainly on the first and fourth floors.

There were no masonry walls indoors in the original building. During the secondary design of the laboratory, a completely new planning and design was carried out. In the legend, the green part is the clean zone, the yellow part is the semi-contaminated zone, and the red part is the contaminated zone.

The entire layout is divided into public areas and experimental zones, with the public areas mainly on the first and fourth floors. The first floor contains the reception desk, corporate exhibition hall, small negotiation area, and VIP reception room; the fourth floor contains the general manager's office, finance room, meeting room, open-plan office area, multimedia room, training room, and air-conditioning equipment room. The experimental zones are mainly on the first, second, and third floors. The first floor is the stem cell bank; the second floor is for stem cell therapy, anti-aging/beauty, and autologous blood collection; the third floor is for stem cell separation, Fig. 9-9 Three-flow drawing of the blood transfusion department

culture, and preparation.

The walls and ceilings of the experimental and treatment areas all use medical color steel plates and are equipped with germicidal lamps. The corridors are divided into: 1. treatment corridor; 2. medical staff/laboratory personnel corridor; 3. waste corridor. The personnel flow and logistics are rational so as to avoid cross-contamination. A laboratory access control management system is in place, and only staff members may enter and exit. Personnel flow and logistics are separated, and contaminated items and clean items are segregated. Medical waste has a dedicated corridor, as shown in Fig. 9-10, Fig. 9-11, Fig. 9-12, Fig. 9-13, and Fig. 9-14.

The three flows are divided into: patient flow, medical staff flow, and waste flow. The personnel flow and logistics are rational so as to avoid cross-contamination, and only staff members may enter and exit. Personnel flow and logistics are separated, and contaminated items and clean items are segregated. Medical waste has a dedicated exit corridor. Patient flow and physician flow are separated, as shown in Fig. 9-15.

The public area on the first floor adopts a modern Chinese design style. Modern Chinese style mainly includes two aspects of basic content: first, the interpretation of the cultural significance of traditional Chinese style against the background of the current era; second, contemporary design based on a full understanding of contemporary Chinese culture. Modern Chinese style is not a pure stacking of traditional elements; rather, through an understanding of traditional culture, it combines modern and traditional elements, using modern people's aesthetic needs to create a style rich in traditional charm, so that traditional art finds appropriate expression in contemporary society. Fig. 9-10 Structural drawing of the original premises on the first floor

Fig. 9-11 Structural drawing of the original premises on the second floor Fig. 9-12 Three-zone drawing of the first floor

Fig. 9-13 Three-flow drawing of the first floor Fig. 9-14 Three-zone drawing of the second floor

Fig. 9-15 Three-flow drawing of the second floor The apt use of decoration and design elements enables the modern Chinese style to achieve a refined, novel, simple, and sumptuous decorative effect. The decorative materials mainly include high-grade stone, carpet, and floor tiles used to form patterned floor medallions; the walls use high-grade wall tiles and wallpaper veneer over large areas, with gypsum board and stainless-steel shaped suspended ceilings, effectively setting off the class and taste of the stem cell laboratory building in the modern Chinese design style, as shown in Fig. 9-16, 9-17, and 9-18.

Fig. 9-16 Rendering of the first-floor lobby

Fig. 9-17 Rendering of the first-floor VIP room Fig. 9-18 Rendering of the first-floor corporate exhibition hall

5. Floor Plan of the Clinical Laboratory Department

A Grade III Class B hospital in Shandong Province occupies an area of 53,000 m², with a total floor area of 80,000 m², of which 46,000 m² is medical space. The clinical laboratory department is on the first floor, with a finished area of approximately 1,281 m², excluding common areas. The building is of frame structure with newly finished premises. Where the masonry portion exceeds 4 m, a structural column must be added; walls and columns are plastered and coated with latex paint on both sides, and the remaining portions all use color steel plate partition walls. The floor is leveled and then self-leveled, fully covered with PVC flooring. The ceiling uses 600×600 aluminum gusset panels, while the BSL-2 laboratories use color steel plate suspended ceilings. Sterilizing lamps are installed at a height of 1.8–2.1 m. The entire laboratory uses standard laboratory benches and cabinets. Information and power sockets are installed. All water supply and drainage inside the laboratory is laid out according to the relevant provisions of laboratory design standards, and the water supply and drainage for some special instruments is also installed in place.

This project is on the first floor; to the east is the outpatient building lobby of the hospital, so the clinical laboratory reception hall can only be designed on the east side, connected to the lobby. The biochemistry hall adopts an open large-space design. The blood collection room adjoins the waiting hall and is separated from the biochemistry room by glass partitions, which makes it both transparent and demarcates the blood collection room as an independent spatial area. At the blood collection window patients can see all the advanced modern testing instruments inside the biochemistry hall, which can fully demonstrate the hospital's advanced medical equipment to patients.

Due to the characteristics of the room shape of the entire clinical laboratory department, the clean zone is planned in the area on the south side and the southwest corner. This area has no major problems in terms of laboratory layout; the only shortcoming is that the daylighting of the clean zone is very poor.

The fresh air equipment room is planned at the northwest corner, so that it is relatively close to the enhanced laboratories located on the north side, facilitating the rational distribution of HVAC ducts and the rational arrangement of airflow organization. The microbiology laboratory is planned in the northeast corner area, facilitating the opening of the specimen receiving window of the sputum testing room toward the waiting hall. The overall laboratory design achieves a rational distribution of personnel and logistics, and its three flows and three zones comply with the standards; it is a successful clinical laboratory department laboratory case.

The hospital introduced a fully automated biochemistry and immunology assembly line, which connects the stand-alone modular biochemistry and immunology automated analysis systems through tracks to form one assembly line.

Taking into account the existing condition of the building and national biosafety regulations, the entire layout of the laboratory is divided according to the three flows and three zones. The three zones of the laboratory are: (1) Clean zone (i.e., the office area), containing the director's office, doctors' office, meeting room, reference room, male and female duty rooms, men's restroom, women's restroom, storeroom, and fresh air equipment room. (2) Semi-contaminated zone: male and female changing rooms. (3) Clinical laboratory department experimental zone: containing routine testing, biochemistry, hematology, immunology, blood collection room, VIP blood drawing room, body fluid room, specimen processing room, HIV+ immunology, microbiology, PCR, trace elements, cell room, tissue matching laboratory, etiological molecular diagnostics room, UPS, water production room, storeroom, cold storage, and washing and decontamination room.

In this case, the original building was analyzed in detail, and it was decided to adopt the form of "three zones and one corridor" to achieve strict separation among the three zones of the laboratory. Communication and connection between the different zones are realized through the public corridor inside the laboratory and isolation doors. Passage from the clean zone to the contaminated zone must go through the semi-contaminated zone (changing room); medical technicians change into work clothes in the changing room before entering the contaminated zone, and an access control system is installed at the changing room entrance, as shown in Fig. 9-19 and Fig. 9-20.

Fig. 9-19 Original architectural drawing of the laboratory Fig. 9-20 Three-zone drawing of the laboratory

The three flows are divided into: patient flow, medical staff flow, and waste flow. The personnel flow and logistics are rational so as to avoid cross-contamination. A laboratory access control management system is in place, and only staff members may enter and exit. Warning signs and biological hazard signs are posted. Personnel flow and logistics are separated, and contaminated items and clean items are segregated. Medical waste has a dedicated exit corridor. Patient flow and physician flow are separated, as shown in Fig. 9-21.

Fig. 9-21 Three-flow drawing of the laboratory

II. Decoration Works

To embody the functional requirements of a modern laboratory and meet ergonomic requirements, the laboratory is based on transparent glass walls, giving elegant, fresh tones and integrating modernity, simplicity, nature, practicality, beauty, and generosity into one.

1. Ceiling

The ceilings of BSL-2 laboratories use glass-magnesium color steel plate ceilings with a fire resistance rating of Class A. Choosing color steel plates for the ceiling can greatly reduce the difficulty and intensity of ventilation and electromechanical construction and maintenance, and is also conducive to future routine maintenance and inspection. Color steel plate ceilings are practical and attractive, and are easy to clean and disinfect, corrosion-resistant, dust-free, smooth, and waterproof.

Ceilings of departments other than the BSL-2 laboratories may all use 600 mm × 600 mm aluminum gusset panel ceilings with a fire resistance rating of Class B1, as shown in Fig. 9-22.

Fig. 9-22 Laboratory ceiling layout drawing

2. Floor

The laboratories and corridors are all paved with imported PVC sheet flooring, with a fire resistance rating above Class B. PVC sheet flooring is acid-resistant, alkali-resistant, corrosion-resistant, easy to clean, and easy to disinfect, while its wear resistance meets the laboratory grade requirements of national standards, as shown in Fig. 9-23.

Fig. 9-23 Laboratory flooring laying drawing

3. Walls

During actual construction, according to the design intent, it is often necessary to modify the original walls of the building: demolish part or most of the original building walls and then build new masonry walls.

Walls in the clean zone may use brick walls plastered on both sides and finished with latex paint. The wall surfaces of BSL-1 and BSL-2 laboratories use color steel plate wall surfaces, as shown in Fig. 9-24 and Fig. 9-25.

No. Drawing No. alias Name
1 Original wall surface finish
2 10 m wide wall of the testing room

Fig. 9-24 Laboratory wall demolition drawing

No. Drawing No. alias Name
1 Original wall surface finish
2 10 m wide wall finish of the testing room
3 20 m wide wall finish of the testing room

Fig. 9-25 Laboratory wall masonry drawing

4. Doors and Windows

Doors and windows in the clean zone may use tempered glass doors, solid wood doors, and steel-wood doors. BSL-1 laboratories may use steel-wood doors, and BSL-2 laboratories use color steel plate doors. The laboratory entrance uses double-leaf fireproof glass floor-spring doors with an access control system, further enhancing laboratory safety, as shown in Fig. 9-26.

Fig. 9-26 Laboratory doors and windows drawing

Here the waiting area needs to be elaborated on separately.

The waiting area is a space open directly to patients and also a space displaying the external image of the laboratory. At the same time, the waiting area is generally connected with the public space of the entire hospital. Therefore, the decoration style of the waiting area differs from the interior design of the laboratory. In terms of decoration style, the waiting area appeals more to aesthetics: it must have an individual style while at the same time taking into account coordination with the overall decoration style of the hospital. Only by considering both aspects can a relatively ideal decorative effect for the waiting area be designed. Therefore, the choice of decorative materials will not be as uniform as for the interior decoration of the laboratory.

Some distinctive shapes can be designed on the ceiling of the waiting area, in which case gypsum board or aluminum-plastic composite panel is generally used as the decorative material. To enrich such shapes, the lighting can also comprehensively use mixed illumination methods such as light troughs, spotlights, and attractive recessed ceiling lamps to reinforce the artistic effect of the hall. In some large hospitals, the public areas of the interior spaces uniformly use linear aluminum gusset panel suspended ceilings, in which case the designer should follow the hospital's opinions and just do as they require. The advantage of linear aluminum gusset panel ceilings is that they facilitate routine inspection and maintenance of the overhead ducts.

For the choice of wall materials, to coordinate with the overall style of the hospital, wall materials of the same series as those used in other public areas of the hospital can be used. The overall decoration style of the hospital is dominated by simplicity, brightness, beauty, and generosity; the wall decoration only needs to reflect the grade of decoration through the grade of materials, without making excessive wall shapes. Practices such as wall tiles, dry-hung stone, wet-pasted stone, or aluminum-plastic composite panel veneer can usually be adopted, as shown in Fig. 9-27 and Fig. 9-28.

Depending on the size of the space, the floor of the waiting area may be paved with 600 mm × 600 mm, 800 mm × 800 mm, or 1000 mm × 1000 mm floor tiles such as polished tiles, vitrified tiles, and microcrystalline tiles. If the space is large, two or more kinds of floor tiles can be used to design durable-looking visual effects such as floor medallion patterns or border lines. The floor materials are required to have a fire resistance rating above Class A. Polished tile flooring is acid-resistant, alkali-resistant, corrosion-resistant, easy to clean, and easy to disinfect, while its wear resistance meets the laboratory grade requirements of national standards.

Fig. 9-27 Rendering of the laboratory waiting hall Fig. 9-28 Rendering of the laboratory waiting hall

III. Electrical Systems

1. Electrical System of the Laboratory Works

Lightning protection grounding, working grounding, and safety grounding share the same grounding network. Every circuit of the power switch boxes and lighting (socket) boxes must be equipped with residual current protection devices, with a final-stage residual current protection operating current Ie = 30 mA.

All conduits under the suspended ceiling are concealed. The metal conduit openings used for all electrical appliances are dust-sealed with sealant. When various wires are laid, color-coded wires are used, and the same color should be used within the same system. Yellow-green striped wires are forbidden for use as phase wires. All conduits must be reliably grounded; grounding between conduits should be carried out by means of dedicated grounding bridging clamps, with bridging wires of copper core wire not smaller than 4 mm.

2. Luminaire Arrangement

Within the BSL-2 laboratory area, all lighting luminaires are cleanroom luminaires, equipped with germicidal lamps installed at a height of 1.8 m–2.1 m. In the clean zone and BSL-1 laboratories, grille lamps may be used as lighting luminaires. The illuminance in the laboratory area should reach 300 LX, as shown in Fig. 9-29.

No. Legend Name Unit Quantity Remarks
1 ○ Weatherproof luminaire pcs 2
2 ■ 3A 1.2 m LED lamp pcs 115
3 ■ 3A 1.2 m LED lamp pcs 42 Those marked as emergency lamps are equipped with emergency lamps
4 — 1×40 W UV disinfection lamp pcs 64 Marked as having a timer switch
5 — 2×40 W cleanroom lamp L2D pcs 23 Those marked as emergency lamps are equipped with emergency lamps
6 — 2×40 W cleanroom lamp L3D pcs 15

Fig. 9-29 Luminaire layout drawing

3. Luminaire Installation

Unless the installation method is specially noted, all lighting luminaires are ceiling-mounted (flush to ceiling). The bottom edges of safety evacuation (exit indicator) lights, emergency lighting lamps, and their sockets are installed at a height of 2.3 m, and the bottom edges of corridor evacuation indicator lights are installed at a height of 0.3 m.

4. Switches and Sockets

Lighting switches are rocker switches. Unless specially noted or drawn, single-phase sockets are two-pole and three-pole sockets, whose capacity and specifications should follow the design requirements, as shown in Fig. 9-30 and Fig. 9-31. Fig. 9-30 Ceiling electrical lighting layout drawing

Fig. 9-31 Floor electrical socket layout drawing

5. Installation of Electrical Equipment and Devices

Switch and socket faceplates, socket boxes, and power switch boxes must all be installed. Electrical equipment inside the power distribution room is surface-mounted. The centerline of lighting switches is installed at a height of 1.4 m. Sockets are generally installed with the bottom edge 0.3 m above the floor; the socket for the hand dryer is installed at a height of 1.4 m. Sockets for the laboratory benches are supplied together with the benches.

IV. Ventilation Systems

Ventilation means discharging indoor stale air directly or after purification to the outdoors and supplementing it with fresh air, thereby maintaining indoor air conditions to preserve hygienic standards and meet production process requirements. We call the former exhaust and the latter supply air. A fume hood can simply be understood as a cabinet and a fan: gases generated in the cabinet are exhausted by the fan and safely discharged into the atmosphere.

In laboratory works, laboratory equipment requiring exhaust systems includes: biosafety cabinets, fume hoods, atomic absorption hoods, and universal exhaust hoods. Laboratories requiring fresh air systems shall be provided with them according to actual need; a fresh air system can be considered only when natural ventilation cannot meet the exhaust requirements, as shown in Fig. 9-32, Fig. 9-33, and Fig. 9-34.

Fig. 9-32 Laboratory ventilation drawing Fig. 9-33 Laboratory benchtop guided exhaust drawing

Fig. 9-34 Laboratory fume hood exhaust drawing

1. Design

  • (1) Duct air velocity: air velocity in supply and exhaust duct branch pipes is 6–9 m/s, and in main ducts is 8–12 m/s.
  • (2) Laboratory air change rate: 8–15 ACH.
  • (3) Design theoretical air volume of laboratory ventilation equipment, as shown in Table 9-1.

Table 9-1 Design theoretical air volume of ventilation equipment

Equipment name 1.2 fume hood 1.5 fume hood 1.8 fume hood Atomic absorption hood Universal exhaust hood
Design exhaust volume 700–1300 CMH 900–1700 CMH 1300–2100 CMH 400–600 CMH 150–300 CMH

2. Operational Design Requirements for the Ventilation System

2.1 Air velocity and air volume are stable, with low noise (≤ 60 dB), complying with relevant national standards and tender requirements.

2.2 The average air velocity at the air intake surface of the fume hood working face is designed as 0.6 ± 0.1 m/s. A VAV damper is used to control the fume hood exhaust, so that the exhaust changes synchronously with the working state of the fume hood, achieving the greatest possible energy saving on the basis of ensuring staff safety. The exhaust volume can also be set locally according to the nature of the experiments conducted in the fume hood and the toxicity level and concentration of the waste gases to be removed.

2.3 The exhaust volumes of the universal exhaust hood and atomic absorption hood are constant and can be independently adjusted as needed.

3. Universal Exhaust Hoods and Atomic Absorption Hoods

A microcomputer-based electronic air regulating valve is installed on the horizontal branch pipe of the atomic absorption hood to keep the equipment exhaust volume constant (constant-volume exhaust), and the exhaust volume of the atomic absorption hood can be adjusted according to actual requirements. The control panel of the electronic air regulating valve uses a touchscreen and can be directly installed at an appropriate position on the indoor wall to ensure convenient and intuitive operation. The damper angle can be adjusted arbitrarily from 0° to 90°; staff can arbitrarily set the damper angle via the touch buttons on its control panel, and the damper can automatically save the set value. When powered off, the electronic damper can automatically reset to 0° and is required to have sealing and check valve functions, to ensure that waste gases generated by other operating equipment do not flow backward.

4. Duct Materials for the Laboratory Ventilation System

4.1 Exhaust from the gas cylinder room uses galvanized pipe with δ = 0.75 mm.

4.2 All indoor exhaust ducts use PVC material.

4.3 All outdoor exhaust ducts use medium-alkali fire-resistant inorganic fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) ducts.

4.4 Duct material thickness (mm), as shown in Table 9-2.

Table 9-2 Duct material and thickness

Rigid PVC circular duct wall thickness Rigid PVC rectangular duct wall thickness Inorganic FRP duct panel thickness
Duct diameter Duct wall thickness Duct long-side dimension D Panel thickness Duct long-side dimension D Panel thickness
D ≤ 320 3.0 D ≤ 320 3.0 D ≤ 320 2.5–3.5
320 < D ≤ 630 4.0 320 < D ≤ 500 4.0 300 < D ≤ 500 3.5–4.5
630 < D ≤ 1000 5.0 500 < D ≤ 800 5.0 500 < D ≤ 1000 4.5–5.5

Design wall thickness of ducts in the exhaust duct system: main duct thickness δ ≥ 6 mm, branch duct thickness δ ≥ 4 mm, and FRP duct δ ≥ 8 mm.

V. Laboratory Fresh Air Systems

A fresh air system uses dedicated equipment on one side of a sealed room to supply fresh air indoors, while dedicated equipment on the other side exhausts air outdoors, creating a "fresh air flow field" indoors, thereby meeting the need for indoor fresh air ventilation. The implementation scheme is: a high-pressure-head, large-flow, low-power once-through high-speed brushless motor drives a centrifugal fan, relying on mechanical force to supply air indoors from one side, while a specially designed exhaust fresh air fan on the other side exhausts outdoors, forcing a fresh air flow field to form within the system. While supplying air, the fresh air entering the room is filtered, detoxified, sterilized, oxygenated, and preheated (in winter).

1. Classification by Air Supply Method

1.1 Once-Through (Single-Flow) Fresh Air System

The single-flow system is a diversified ventilation system formed by combining central mechanical exhaust, based on the three principles of mechanical ventilation systems, with natural air intake. It consists of a fan, air inlets, exhaust outlets, and various ducts and connectors. The fan installed in the suspended ceiling is connected through ducts to a series of exhaust outlets. When the fan starts, indoor turbid air is exhausted outdoors by the fan through air intakes installed indoors, forming several effective negative pressure zones indoors. Indoor air continuously flows toward the negative pressure zones and is exhausted outdoors, while outdoor fresh air is continuously supplemented indoors through air inlets installed above the window frames (between the window frames and the walls), so that high-quality fresh air is always available for breathing. The air supply system of this fresh air system requires no connection of supply air ducts, and the exhaust ducts are generally installed in places such as corridors and restrooms that usually have suspended ceilings, basically taking up no extra space, as shown in Fig. 9-35.

1.2 Dual-Flow Fresh Air System

The dual-flow fresh air system is a central mechanical supply and exhaust system based on the three principles of mechanical ventilation systems, and is an effective supplement to the single-flow fresh air system. In the design of the dual-flow system, the positions of the exhaust main unit and indoor exhaust outlets are basically the same as in the single-flow distribution; the difference is that the fresh air in the dual-flow system is supplied by a fresh air main unit. The fresh air main unit is connected through ducts to indoor air distributors, and the fresh air main unit continuously delivers outdoor fresh air indoors through the ducts, to meet the fresh, quality air needed in daily life. Both exhaust outlets and fresh air inlets are fitted with air volume regulating valves, and indoor ventilation is achieved through the powered exhaust and supply of the main unit.

1.3 Floor Air Supply System

Because carbon dioxide is heavier than air, the closer to the floor, the lower the oxygen content. From an energy-saving perspective, installing the fresh air system at floor level yields better ventilation results. The cold air supplied from the floor or lower-wall supply outlets or upper supply outlets spreads over the floor surface, forming organized airflow organization; and buoyancy-driven plumes form around heat sources, carrying away heat. Because the air velocity is low and the turbulent airflow organization is gentle, without large eddies, the air temperature in the indoor working zone is relatively uniform horizontally but stratified vertically; the greater the floor height, Fig. 9-35 Laboratory fresh air system drawing

the more pronounced this phenomenon. The upward plume generated by heat sources can not only carry away the heat load but also transport turbid air from the working zone to the upper part of the room, where it is discharged through exhaust outlets set at the top. The fresh air delivered by the bottom outlets, along with residual heat and pollutants, moves upward under the driving force of buoyancy and airflow organization, so the floor air supply fresh air system can provide good air quality in the indoor working zone.

Although floor air supply has certain advantages, it also has certain applicable conditions. It is generally suitable for places where the pollution sources are associated with heat sources, and the floor height must be no less than 2.5 m, at which point turbid air can be easily carried away by buoyancy plumes. There is also an upper limit to the design cooling load of the room; studies show that if there is enough space for large supply air diffusers, the room cooling load can reach 120 W/m². If the room cooling load is too large, the power energy consumption of displacement ventilation will increase significantly and its economy will decline; in addition, the conflict of floor air supply devices occupying floor area and space becomes more prominent.

VI. Cleanliness System

The spaces in clinical laboratories that require purification design are mainly the enhanced laboratories, namely the microbiology laboratory, PCR, and HIV laboratory, as shown in Fig. 9-36, 9-37, 9-38, and 9-39.

1. Air-Conditioning Purification System and Design

Atmospheric pressure: winter Pd = 1016 bar; summer Px = 1002.4 bar

1.1 Outdoor design dry-bulb temperature:

Winter air conditioning: t = 10 ℃; winter ventilation: t = 17 ℃.

Summer air conditioning: t = 35.5 ℃; summer ventilation: t = 32 ℃; winter heating: t = 12 ℃.

1.2 Outdoor design wet-bulb temperature for summer air conditioning: t = 27.9 ℃.
1.3 Outdoor design relative humidity for winter air conditioning: 85.
1.4 Winter outdoor wind speed: V = 3.4 m/s; summer outdoor wind speed: V = 2.8 m/s.

Third-floor cleanliness classification drawing 1:100

Class 100,000 clean area

No. Construction unit Project name Construction date Construction unit
Engineer
Engineer
Engineer
Engineer
Engineer

Fig. 9-36 Cleanliness classification drawing

Third-floor air outlet plan 1:100

Fig. 9-37 Air outlet layout drawing (air outlet pipe openings)
No. Legend Pipe diameter (mm) Pipe length (m)
1 Air pressure guide outlet CF-10 DN50 300
2 Air pressure guide outlet CF-15 DN50 300
3 Air pressure guide outlet CF-20 DN50 300
4 High-pressure guide outlet CF-5 DN50 300

Fig. 9-37 Air outlet layout drawing

Fig. 9-38 Supply and return air duct layout drawing Fig. 9-39 Exhaust duct layout drawing

  1. Air handling units and air supply system. This is a primary return air system. The main air-conditioning units are air-cooled chilled-water modular units for centralized cooling; the filter sections and terminals use combined automatic control and remote control.
  2. The laboratory is provided with an exhaust system. The process of the exhaust system is: laboratory — exhaust shaft — exhaust duct — medium-efficiency exhaust fan — discharge outdoors.
  3. The system airflow organization of the laboratory is: upper air supply and lower exhaust; the system is turbulent flow supplied by primary or secondary return air.
  4. The air supply to each main laboratory is kept at a constant fixed air volume, while the exhaust volume and return air volume are controlled by automatic proportional-integral regulating valves to ensure a constant pressure gradient.
  5. All high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters use filters with a filtration efficiency of 99.997% for 0.5 μm particles.

VII. Disinfection and Sterilization Procedures

To prevent cross-contamination, personnel entering the laboratory must change clothes and disinfect their hands before entering, and after experiments must go through changing and hand disinfection before leaving the laboratory, to prevent viruses from being carried out of the laboratory.

Waste containing pathogenic microorganisms must be disinfected or sterilized before it can be treated as ordinary waste. Splashes or leaks that may occur during operations must be addressed through disinfection to kill pathogenic microorganisms, protecting the operators and the environment. Prompt, thorough, effective, and pre-cleaned; avoid secondary contamination and reduce harm to people, articles, and the environment. The special requirements for decontamination should be determined according to the type of experimental work and the particular nature of the infectious materials handled.

VIII. Wastewater Treatment

To prevent toxic substances from being discharged out of the laboratory along with wastewater, toxic wastewater should be discharged separately, routed through dedicated pipes to the in-hospital disinfection tank, and only discharged into the municipal pipe network after sterilization and disinfection treatment.

IX. Fire Protection System

A combined distribution system is installed, with total flooding extinguishing in each protected zone; the system equipment follows the heptafluoropropane (HFC-227ea) fire extinguishing system.

  1. System composition: the system consists of an automatic fire alarm system, gas fire extinguishing system equipment, and extinguishing agent delivery piping.

  2. The automatic fire alarm system includes fire detectors, gas fire extinguishing controllers, fire alarm bells, audible and visual alarms, emergency start/stop buttons, gas discharge indicator lights, and system wiring.

  3. The gas fire extinguishing system equipment includes the extinguishing agent storage device and the electromagnetic drive device.

  4. The extinguishing agent delivery piping includes high-pressure internal-and-external galvanized seamless pipe components.

  5. System control modes: this system has three start modes: automatic, manual, and mechanical emergency operation.

  6. Automatic start: when the fire extinguishing controller is set to automatic mode, if smoke (or an abnormal temperature rise) occurs in a protected zone, the smoke (or heat) detector of that zone actuates and sends a fire alarm signal to the fire extinguishing controller. The controller enters a single-fire-alarm state and simultaneously drives the fire alarm bell to emit a single fire alarm signal; at this point no control signal to start the fire extinguishing system is issued. As the fire in that protected zone spreads and the temperature keeps rising (or smoke is generated), the heat (or smoke) detector of another loop actuates and sends another fire alarm signal to the fire extinguishing controller. The controller immediately confirms the fire and emits a combined fire alarm signal and interlocking signals (shutting down the supply/exhaust devices and fire dampers). After a set time delay, the fire extinguishing controller outputs a signal to start the fire extinguishing system, and the extinguishing agent is delivered through the piping into that protected zone to extinguish the fire. After receiving the feedback signal from the pressure signaler, the fire extinguishing controller lights up the gas discharge indicator light outside the door of the protected zone to prevent personnel from entering by mistake.

  7. The gas fire extinguishing controller can be set to manual mode, in which only a fire alarm signal is emitted without producing interlocking actions when a fire occurs.

  8. Manual operation: after the duty personnel confirm the fire alarm, pressing the "emergency start" button on the fire extinguishing controller panel or on site can immediately start the fire extinguishing system. Pressing the "emergency stop" button on the fire extinguishing controller panel or on site before the extinguishing agent is discharged will prevent the fire extinguishing system from starting to discharge.

  9. When both automatic start and manual start fail, personnel may enter the gas cylinder room to perform mechanical emergency operation to start the fire extinguishing system.