Quick answer: A modular OT is an operating theatre built from factory-made wall and ceiling panels. The HVAC, HEPA filtration, laminar airflow diffusers, hermetic doors and controls come designed as one unit. In the UAE, a modular OT must meet the DHA Health Facility Guidelines: about 20 air changes per hour of HEPA-filtered air, 18–22 °C, 20–60% humidity and positive pressure to the corridor.
Hospitals in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah are adding theatres faster than conventional construction can deliver. As a result, the modular OT has become the default for new surgical blocks, and also for retrofits inside running hospitals.
What is a modular OT, and what is inside it?
The envelope and air system arrive as an engineered kit, not a construction project. Walls, for example, are 50 mm panels with a steel, stainless-steel or HPL skin and coved corners. The ceiling carries the laminar airflow array and the terminal HEPA filters. Then come hermetically sealed sliding doors, conductive flooring and a dedicated hygienic air handling unit. Finally, add a control panel for temperature, humidity and pressure, plus pendants and surgical lights, and the modular OT is complete.
What does DHA require from a modular OT?
Dubai’s Health Facility Guidelines (Part E, HVAC) are specific. An operating room needs about 20 air changes per hour of MERV 17 HEPA-filtered air, four of them from outside. In other words, that grade means 99.995% at MPPS to EN 1822. Temperature sits at 18–22 °C, while humidity stays at 20–60%. Pressure stays positive to the corridor by 2.5–10 Pa, and the guideline recommends 10 Pa on a monitor wired to the BMS. The laminar array must also cover the table footprint plus 305 mm on every side at 0.15–0.3 m/s. In addition, each theatre gets its own air handling unit on a variable speed drive. A modular OT is the simplest way to hit all of these at commissioning and still hold them a year later.
What does a modular OT cost in the UAE?
There is no list price, because two theatres of the same size can differ by half depending on what is inside them. Several things move a modular OT quote in AED. First, a general theatre costs less than a cardiac, neuro or orthopaedic one. Second, HEPA grade and air handling capacity must suit 46 °C summers and 32 °C wet-bulb fresh air. Then come the panel skin, automatic hermetic doors, and whether the hospital stays open during the work. So ask every supplier for an itemised quote that states the ISO class, air changes, HEPA grade and design pressure. Otherwise, a lower number is a different product, not a better price.
How long does a modular OT take, and how does Agora deliver it in the UAE?
From approved drawings, a modular OT typically takes 45 to 75 days to install and commission. First, our works near Mumbai build and factory-test the panels, the laminar module and the air handling unit. We then ship to Jebel Ali or Khalifa Port, and our engineers install on site. After that, they validate the room and hand over the IQ/OQ/PQ documents for your DHA submission. Agora Climate Control Systems has delivered more than 500 hospital projects over 16 years and holds ISO 9001:2015 and AHRI certification. Because we make our own laminar airflow units and air handlers, one team owns the project from drawing to validation.
Frequently asked questions
Is a modular OT mandatory in the UAE?
No, because DHA, DOH and MOHAP regulate the air performance of an operating room, not the construction method. Hospitals choose a modular OT because it reaches the required air changes, filtration and pressure reliably, and then keeps them through later validations.
How much does a modular OT cost in Dubai?
Suppliers quote per project in AED after a site survey. Theatre type, HEPA grade, air handling capacity, panel material, doors and integrated equipment set the figure. In short, a general theatre costs far less than a cardiac one of the same size.
How long does installation take?
Typically 45 to 75 days from approved drawings to commissioning, including validation, because fabrication runs while the site team prepares the room.
Which standards apply to a modular OT in the UAE?
DHA Health Facility Guidelines Part E in Dubai, and DOH and MOHAP requirements elsewhere. All of them build on ASHRAE 170, with HEPA filters to EN 1822 and cleanroom testing to ISO 14644. JCI-accredited hospitals also use the same figures.
Can a modular OT go inside a running hospital?
Yes. Dry panel construction, no wet trades and a short site phase make it the usual way to add theatres. So hospitals replace theatres without closing the surgical floor.
Planning a theatre in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah?
Send us the room dimensions and case mix. We then reply within one working day with a layout, the design air parameters and an itemised AED quote. WhatsApp +91 93232 98094 or request a free consultation at agoraccs.com/contact.