Inconspicuous from the outside, server rooms hide many secrets, and it’s not just about the data processed in them. The terms of contracts for the construction of this type of building do not allow us to publicly share many construction details. However, we can share some general information about this type of implementation.
Usable loads up to FIVE times greater than typical!
About six people per square meter, which is already quite a squeeze. This is how you can approximate the value of the usable loads used in most buildings and applications – they do not exceed 5 kN/m2. And what if there were… 30 people per square meter? They would have to stand on each other. And such usable loads are assumed when designing server room structures: up to 25 kN/m2. Prestressed elements work great here.
Cinema hall under the ceiling
High loads do not end with what stands on the floor. Kilometers of electrical cables run under the ceilings. Their thickness and number is so large in server rooms that only they generate loads of around 4 kN/m2 – comparable to the operating loads for cinema halls. Moving them to the ceilings requires the use of specialist mounting rails and fastenings.
Cold, colder, server room
The challenges do not end with weight. The huge amounts of heat generated by servers require complex and very efficient cooling systems. Currently, they are placed on a separate structural system. Usually, it is a steel grid supported by columns on the roof. Driving out of Warsaw on the S8 route, you can admire just such a solution in the server room in Jawczyce at 5 Sadowa Street.
Installation calculated separately
Precisely determining the costs is one thing. In the case of server rooms, another issue must also be calculated: the strength of the structure during assembly. The structural elements themselves generate higher than standard loads, which is why detailed assembly planning is necessary to ensure the stability of the structure and safety for employees at this stage. The analysis includes, among others: stiffening systems and element connections.
Standards? Only the highest
Such a high level of complexity of the structure itself and installations necessary for the proper functioning of the server room requires extraordinary precision at the design stage – errors in the documentation can be extremely expensive. That is why projects are carried out in BIM technology in the currently highest standard, i.e. LOD 500. Its implementation allows to avoid collisions and carry out assembly efficiently.
Extremely high requirements regarding the strength and complexity of the structure encourage the use of prefabricated elements. Thanks to controlled conditions, factories are able to ensure that the stringent conditions are met, and the project analyzed in detail – the most trouble-free assembly. Budizol has so far delivered its products, including prestressed ceilings, columns and walls, for two server rooms in Warsaw and one near Berlin.
