Biocontainment doors are a key part of high-containment shells and an integral part of a
complex system. Designing a facility for these doors, as well as their installation and
commissioning, is a challenging task. This article reviews biosafety regulations and
standards to decipher when and where biocontainment doors are required within a
high-containment facility. It then illustrates their required biocontainment and
fumigation performance. Construction and architectural considerations sourced from past
project experiences are included in detail to inform designers and contractors.
Furthermore, specialized areas such as Building Management System (BMS) connectivity and
redundancy systems are discussed. Finally, this article includes a section on
commissioning and functional testing (FAT) of these doors.
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