Raised Flooring and Data Center Structural Design

JESSUP, Md., March 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- For years there has been much spirited debate about whether to use a raised access floor system or not.  Much of the discussion has been centered around cost relative to the access floor system itself.  There's also the topic of savings related to different cooling and containment strategies.  We won't rehash those arguments for and against raised floor systems here.   Instead, we want to focus on questions that keep coming up about a not-so-obvious topic: the impact of not using a raised floor on the structural design of a data center.

Contrary to popular belief, a raised floor system has little impact on the structural design of the building shell itself.  Structural design is driven primarily by the seismic zone in which the building will be constructed and considerations such as tornado resistance or hardening factors required for the different tier ratings.  The design of a data center's shell is also dictated by the materials and methods of construction that will be used. 

Once inside the data center, however, there are design considerations relative to the distribution of power, communications, and cooling services that do impact the structural design and ultimately the cost of the project.

In those data centers in which a raised floor is not used, these services are typically distributed overhead.  By this we mean that communications cabling, electrical conduit, and air distribution take place in the area above the racks and below the structure of the roof or floor above.  Most commonly this distribution takes place below a ceiling grid, which can be either a standard lay-in acoustical style, or a load-bearing ceiling.  There are four key considerations in this general overhead approach:

• Cable trays carrying copper and fiber communications cabling, by and large, are heavier than you may think and contribute the load placed on the structure.
• Distribution racks for power, either from the UPS rooms to the data center, or within the data center itself, must support significant weight loads which adds to the structural load of the shell.
• Overhead cooling distribution does not contribute significantly to the load, but it does require additional floor-to-ceiling height to accomplish. This adds cost to the building package.
• In areas with seismic requirements, the loads created by cable trays and electrical distribution racks require additional lateral bracing, which increase the stability—and cost—of the building.

While there is much debate about the use of raised floor, there are design and cost considerations that accompany the decision.  Tate can help you distribute above with TateGrid Structural Ceilings and below with Raised Access Floor Systems, and our engineering department can help you navigate the design challenges involved with both.

Go to Tate Data Center Products.

SOURCE Tate Access Floors