Why Cleanroom Projects are Getting Smarter – and Faster

By Jason Teets, General Manager, PCI

If you’ve worked on a cleanroom project lately—whether for a pharma facility, semiconductor fab, or microelectronics lab—you’ve probably felt the shift.

Projects are moving faster. Designs are evolving mid-stream. Owners want more certainty, fewer surprises, and a straight line to validation.

And that’s where Design-Assist and Design-Build come in—not just as buzzwords but as game-changers for our industry.

We’ve been in the cleanroom construction industry for some time now. And I can say with confidence: we’re not just building walls and ceilings anymore—we’re helping shape how projects come together from the very beginning. And that’s exactly how it should be.

What’s Driving the Shift?

In Short: Complexity, Speed and Cost Control

We’re building more advanced spaces than ever, with tighter tolerances, higher expectations, and shrinking timelines.

Owners in the pharmaceutical and microelectronics industries are under pressure to deliver innovation—and fast. That means the old-school design-bid-build model, with its linear handoffs and reactive thinking, just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Design-Build:

Integration is Everything

Design-Build takes it one step further. Now, we’re not just contributing—we’re owning. We’re part of the same team from concept through commissioning. It’s one contract, one team, one mission: get it built, get it right, get it validated.

We’re seeing more owners adopt this model, especially in the semiconductor industry, where speed to tool installation is crucial. They want a team that’s integrated, accountable, and nimble—and Design-Build delivers.

Design-Assist:

Early Insight = Fewer Headaches

Design-Assist brings us—specialty contractors—into the process before drawings are finalized. Why? Because we know how these systems actually go together.

We help architects and engineers vet materials, sequence installations, and anticipate potential coordination issues that could arise later and potentially derail a project.

Whether we’re talking about a ballroom-clean ISO 5 space for sterile fill/finish or a HEPA-filled bay in a high-volume chip fab, we know what it takes to make a cleanroom perform. Getting our hands in early saves everyone time, money, and headaches.

TRENDS WE’RE SEEING (AND LOVING)

1: Earlier Collaboration

We’re getting invited to the table at pre-concept and programming stages. It’s no longer “come bid this scope.” It’s “help us solve this challenge.” That mindset change is enormous—and it’s better for the project.

2: Digital Preconstruction

We’re using BIM not just to coordinate, but to simulate airflow paths, walk-through installations, and test maintainability. Clients love it. It gives them clarity, and it gives us confidence before we ever step on site.

3: Smarter Sequencing

By owning the installation logic from the outset, we create field-driven schedules that align with procurement, validation, and turnover. That’s critical in regulated environments where a week’s delay can mean millions in lost product.

4: Integrated System Thinking

Cleanrooms are systems, not just finishes. Design-Assist lets us align our envelope, ceiling grid, MEP, and filtration scopes early, so everything works together. We’re not siloed trades—we’re system integrators.

5: Adaptable Design Solutions

With demand for multi-use facilities and modular construction, we’re helping design cleanrooms that can evolve—not just perform today, but pivot tomorrow. That’s huge for pharma and fabs alike.

Final Word: This is Our Moment

Design-Assist and Design-Build aren’t trends—they’re the new standard. And as specialty contractors, this is our moment to step up and show what we bring to the table. The sooner we’re involved, the better the outcome—for the owner, for the design team, and for the cleanroom itself. It’s time to build smarter, together.

Ready when you are.