Our client, one of the premier cancer treatment and research facilities in the nation, selected our firm to manage the construction of its data center renovation and expansion.
The 19,000sf facility features two 5,000sf data centers (one renovated, the other module built by the project team), totaling 10,000sf of raised computer flooring (white space). The remaining 9,000sf consists of a renovated security office, restrooms, a loading dock, one ADA aluminum ramp, one ADA concrete ramp, a sprinkler pre-action room, a new set of paralleling gear, PDUs and CRAC units.
The scope of the project consisted of upgrading the existing data center infrastructure and equipment, converting it to a client defined Tier III data center. Interior architectural modifications were required to support the new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) infrastructure and offer additional protection and security. In order to keep our client’s existing data center operation running while the construction was underway, the project was divided into three phases. All equipment and systems were fully tested and commissioned to ensure proper functionality.
Procurement
In order to meet the overall project schedule, the architectural, mechanical and electrical equipment for the entire project had to be prepurchased. This included chillers, cooling towers, CRAH units, paralleling gear and raised flooring. Long lead times in the manufacturing process held delivery of equipment upwards of 16-weeks.
By securing the equipment and materials at one time, our client was able to avoid price escalation on the products and receive a significant discount from the manufacturers. Our project team worked diligently, preparing the space and roughing in equipment, so that when materials arrived they could immediately begin installation.
Fully Operational
Supporting the existing operational data center, which is connected to this equipment, was the team’s first priority. The team mapped out how each piece of equipment was built and connected to the power system.
Some of the existing systems posed unique challenges, as no as-built documents were available to explain how the individual equipment functioned within the system. After the team identified how each piece of equipment functioned within operations and they were tested, the project team re-routed power to generator A, while upgrading generator B and the support equipment. Once complete, power was transferred to generator B while generator A was upgraded. A temporary jumper was installed to turn one side of the existing paralleling gear off and still have emergency generator back-up on the other side. This allowed the data center to still be fully operational, a significant benefit for our client, and the electrician to re-route the existing feeds to the new set of paralleling gear.
