In order to keep a global biopharmaceutical giant focused on its primary business objectives–improving human health–Structure Tone provided construction management services for a new data and network operations center. This facility was critical to keep the firm’s operations on-line and provide it room to grow.
During the twelve weeks of preconstruction, our team anticipated the firm’s long lead prepurchase items and contractor packages. The data center was designed to occupy only part of an empty warehouse, leaving room for the client’s continued growth and the possibility of three additional construction phases. In addition, demolition of existing space and outdoor areas was performed for a new generator and utility transformer.
Network Operations Center and Offices
Construction included front end office space, network operations center (NOC), and a computer test lab area. Fit-out of the office area included work stations, a break room and bathrooms. The NOC area, constructed adjacent to the data center, was fit-out with new desk-top stations, millwork, cabinets and furniture for operations personnel, three 42-inch monitoring screens to track data center functions and remote alarm panels for the generator, UPS and fire protection.
In support of the newly constructed data center, support space for the mechanical equipment was also constructed to adhere to the Uptime Institute’s Tier II classification of N+1, as well as electrical space that was designed and constructed to adhere to Tier III, which will allow component outage or maintenance to occur without disruption to the computer processing equipment. The space was constructed with the capacity for up to 100 racks, and finished with vapor barrier paint to protect against humidity, vinyl wrapped ceiling tile and raised high-pressure laminate flooring. Infrastructure equipment included:
- twelve new DX CRAC units to cool the data center and UPS rooms with roof mounted air cooled condensers
- two new 750kVA/675kW UPS systems with wet cell batteries in segregated rooms
- six new 225kVA PDUs
- two new 1,500kW outdoor generators
- one new 2,000 kVA utility transformer
- new full flood gaseous suppression system
- new pre-action, dry pipe sprinkler system
