Walk-On Ceilings in Cleanrooms: Essential Insights & Innovations

Walk-on ceilings play a critical role in maintaining clean room integrity while also enabling efficient maintenance and flexibility in facility design. To learn more about this exciting topic, BioPharm International sat down with Omar Betouni, Director of Business Development at GCS, to explore the importance of walk-on ceilings in these controlled spaces. This Q&A covers different ceiling types, their structural requirements, and the latest trends shaping the future of clean room architecture.

BioPharm International: Can you please introduce yourself and talk a bit about your background?

Betouni: Absolutely! My background is in biomedical engineering. I have a degree from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. I’m fairly new here at GCS, but I am coming on with nearly a decade of experience working in and around clean rooms.

BioPharm International: Why are walk-on ceilings essential in clean room environments?

Betouni: Walk-on ceilings provide a stable, load-bearing surface above the clean room. This enables maintenance crews to be able to service HVAC and electrical filtration systems without entering the clean space. By allowing them to replace components from above, walk-on ceilings minimize contamination risks and reduce downtime.

BioPharm International: What types of walk-on ceilings are available, and when would you choose each of them?

Betouni: There are a few different types of ceilings. With grid ceilings, you have a modular panel system, which is comparable to our SB05 panels. Then there is a modular plank system, which is comparable to our SBM07. There are a few different scenarios in which you'd use one or the other, and it depends on cost and the future classification of the room.

So, a grid ceiling is often 4 x 4 panels. This requires more hangers. The pros are that it's very cost effective and you can easily retrofit. The cons are that the panels are not fully flush from inside the clean room.

Then you have the modular panels, our SBO5 panels.Those are pre-cut, so with a flush finish on the inside. You have minimal joints. These panels are great for higher classifications because they’re easy to clean, but you pay the premium on the cost. On the downside, this one is not that easy to retrofit because the panels are pre-connected.

Then, the final option is your modular plank system. This combines the best of both worlds from the grid ceiling and modular panel. It is easy to retrofit and you can have that function in the modular plank system. You're using fewer hangers than with the grid ceiling, but a few more than with the panel system; however, this grid allows you to support heavier loads—up to 50 pounds per square foot. This makes it very flexible depending on how you want that clean room to operate in the future.

BioPharm International: What types of testing are required to ensure walk-on ceilings are safe?

Betouni: With walk-on ceilings, we do a bunch of internal testing. We also work with third parties to get some third-party assessments on the structural integrity of the panel. So, a typical testing protocol would look like cyclical load testing, point-load testing, and distributed load testing. All of this rigorous testing will ensure that the panels can handle real-world conditions while still maintaining clean room compliance.

BioPharm International: Why do load considerations and factor of safety matter in walk-on ceilings?

Betouni: Those matter because you have to ensure the ceiling can support personnel, tools, equipment, and handle that load over time. At GCS, we apply 100% factor of safety to ensure you're going to handle all the load ratings. This meets compliance withAmerican Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E72 and European Standard (BS EN) 13964.^1-2

These ceilings can generally support 20–50 pounds per square foot. To give you a frame of reference, that's probably about one or two workers around 180 pounds, plus their tools. So, they'll be able to walk on there without jeopardizing the structural integrity of the ceiling.

BioPharm International: How can walk-on ceilings be installed in buildings with structural limitations?

Betouni: For installation, you can suspend from existing structure; but, to your point, some buildings cannot support that. We offer a separate solution for that, which is a self-supported dedicated beam system. We call it a multi-beam system. We use this when a building can't bear extra loads. So, this gives end-users a little bit more flexibility if they're in a load-restricted facility, or perhaps if the facility wasn't designed to handle additional load. You can still get a walk-on ceiling without jeopardizing clean room performance and tying to the existing structure.

BioPharm International: Looking forward, what trends or innovations are shaping the future of walk-on ceilings?

Betouni: We're seeing a lot of trends lately on the upside. There's a big demand for airtight and moisture-tight plenums, especially in battery dry rooms. Then there are also more modular designs that have integrated cable management.It's just a cleaner finish. You have anti-slip features that are becoming a standard. Then, I would say a major trend for everyone, not just us, is sustainability being centered as a huge priority.

At GCS, our honeycomb panels are made with materials of which 95% can be recycled. We're also striving to become the first cleanroom architectural system that has no Scope 3 carbon emissions. We're starting with that by sourcing material that comes with an XCarb decarbonization certificate.

References:

1. ASTM International. Standard Test Method for Determining the Cloud Point of Petroleum Products; ASTM E0072-15; ASTM International: West Conshohocken, PA, 2015. https://www.astm.org/e0072-15.html.
2. British Standards Institution. Suspended Ceilings—Requirements and Test Methods; BS EN 13964:2014; BSI: London, UK, 2014.