The Office Space Data Center
By: Dan Fanning, LEED AP, DC CEP, HCC, Projects & Engineering Manager
The data center is full. The offices and cubicles have two occupants each. The company has been growing consistently for years; it’s time to move. A corporate move is hard enough. But, when you add in the additional details and requirements for a data center, it is very easy to make bad decisions. The real estate company has the office requirements and has recommended buildings that meet your needs perfectly. However, who has prepared the data center requirements? And beyond that, who has verified that the selected building will meet the data center requirements? Has anyone analyzed the associated costs?
When planning for a data center move to a commercial office building, several factors must be considered. The complexity is based on the data center load, future capacity, and level of redundancy and reliability desired. The main issues are typically electrical capacity, exterior equipment space, and existing building conditions, such as floor-loading limitations. What will it cost to renovate the selected office space for the data center?
Data centers are obviously complicated and require attention to detail across multiple, interwoven systems. The idea of retrofitting an office environment to support a data center application is daunting at best.
The easiest and most practical approach is to hire a data center subject matter expert (SME) up front and put them on the building evaluation committee. This SME will provide invaluable feedback on the level of complexity for each building evaluated, eventually saving you big money on the eventual design and construction. The SME will also help decide if an office environment is the right choice for your data center. Building “new” in many cases is faster, cheaper, and more efficient. Weigh the importance of your data center’s operation with the hazards of “force-fitting” it in somewhere it does not fit or belong.
The first call made by the SME will be to the electrical utility company. Many questions need to be answered, such as: What is the system capacity in the proposed area? What is the incident history of the sub-stations? What type of large electrical consumers are in the area? Are dual feeds possible?
Once the utility has been approved, it is now time to evaluate the constructability of the new electrical system. The existing system, more than likely, will be of no use for the data center. The SME will look for ample equipment area interior and exterior and will identify the complexity of the pathways and obstacles to construction. The distances between the data center area, the outdoor equipment yard, and the building service must all be considered and used to calculate the budget and practicality.
The mechanical system is the next large scale component. Depending on the data center load, there may be several solutions to consider. The mechanical system can prove to be quite a challenge in a multi-story building. Again, the SME will help you determine the most beneficial system to use based on your company’s requirements, as well as evaluate the building as it relates to the selected system(s). Next, the physical limitations of the structure will be considered. The SME must determine how the floor to deck height, floor-loading capacity, roof-loading capacity, distance to exterior equipment yards, piping paths, and constructability will affect the design and budget.
The exterior area comes up in all categories. The electrical and mechanical equipment will require outdoor space in most every case. If the concept involves roof-mounted equipment, you can be sure that structural improvements will be necessary. The exterior space required is a function of the data center load and level of reliability desired. Your SME will help the real estate company understand the size and importance of this requirement.
High profile locations that are attractive to the company often conflict directly with the ideal attributes of a data center. The building and property itself may or may not be data center friendly. Avoid:
- Congested environments
- Hostile or caustic neighbors
- Limited access
- Natural disaster factors
- Availability of resources
- Security
- Municipality
These items can all play a role in raising project complexity and cost. Your SME will help you to recognize and avoid these pitfalls.
In summary, moving your company and data center is a monumental task. Having a data center SME on your team will help take the surprises out of selecting a location and building. With data centers, knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do. An SME can help develop the concept requirements, identify appropriate sites, and prepare estimates of probable cost, all making your final decision easier and fully informed.
For more information, please contact us at info@ediltd.com or visit our website at www.ediltd.com.