Protecting a Valuable Asset
By Christopher Scarafile, Senior Project Manager

The information residing in your company's data center is by far one of your most valuable assets. Here are 4 key questions to consider when your company begins the process of redesigning your data center.

1. How big should it be?

Corporate growth or restructuring can require minor or major IT infrastructure upgrades or expansions. The amount of growth or restructuring your company experiences will play a major role in determining the size of your data center.

2. Do we need a second site?

Disaster recovery or alternative data center locations have become more common, especially since 9-11-01. You may need to create a contingency site to backup your main data center to protect vital company information and/or to keep company operations functioning during a crisis/major power outage.

3. How do we fit?

Reconfiguring, relocating, or expanding a data center within existing operations usually impacts the space and surrounding departments.

4. What should it look like?

Should your data center be a "show place" with a visible network operation center and window views onto the data center floor? Or should it be highly secure and away from public visibility? These elements will determine the aesthetic vision for your data center.

Technology is changing constantly.
Servers are getting faster. Storage is getting smaller, but holding more. New technology is being introduced and adopted into the data center at an almost incomprehensible pace. All of this change means that the data center that houses, protects and maintains your vital company information, must be designed and planned to change and adapt to the needs of your company and the requirements of the technology.

Now more than ever, Meyer Design, Inc. is being asked to design or redesign data centers, even if the rest of the company isn't going through change or redesign. Meyer typically teams with a data center engineering firm or IT consultant, such as Bala Consulting Engineers, to ensure the architectural and interior design elements of the data center accommodate the technical requirements such as IT, HVAC, Electrical and Plumbing. In collaborating with the engineer, Meyer resolves any issues that may occur on architectural and interiors portion of the project to ensure a successful result.

Recent Data Center projects:

Independence Blue Cross - Disaster recovery site
Wilmington Veteran's Administration - Data Center relocation and expansion
American Financial Realty Trust - Data Center relocation and expansion
Susquehanna International Group - Data Center expansion
Johnson Matthey - Data Center expansion
CMS Companies - Data Center expansion
Analytical Graphics, Inc. - New Data Center design
American College of Radiology - New Data Center design
The Gartmore Group - New Data Center design

The Meyer Design project team addresses challenges facing data centers in various ways:

• Tight coordination with client's IT department and engineering/IT consultant team to develop project goals and program
• Understanding the existing facility through extensive surveying and site verifications
• Thorough code research with local and state codes officials
• Development of space plans/schematics to assist in conceptualizing layout issues in conjunction with IT and Engineering team
• Rendering generation to assist client in understanding design elements
• Knowledge of specialized products such as raised flooring, ceiling tiles, lifts, demountable partitions, cages, and lighting typical to a data center environment
• Knowledge of specialized wall assemblies such as security partitions, and numerous rated assemblies typical to a data center environment
• Knowledge of specialized finishes such as anti-static tile, window films, and vapor barrier paint typical to a data center environment
• Addressing the need for customized soffits, chases and shafts as dictated by the engineers to support the installation of piping, HVAC duct, or IT project components
• Allowing for internal growth through the use of demountable partitions
• Understanding pros and cons for the need or use of raised flooring and/or acoustical ceilings in the data center environment
• Knowledge of network operations centers and specialized products and finishes used in those spaces. Additionally the layout and specification of specialized console furniture is also a key component
• Development of comprehensive construction documentation package seamlessly integrated into documents prepared by engineering team. The package typically includes a demolition/construction plan; construction notes, legends and wall sections; doors, frames, finish plan and specifications; as well as (partial or full) electrical and reflected ceiling plans based upon levels of coordination required with engineering team
• Assistance in the bidding, value engineering and permit process to keep project on track and on budget
• Lastly Meyer will typically attend a minimum of bimonthly project meetings and site walk-throughs to ensure adherence to documents and minimal site issues, at the close of the project Meyer will punch list the facility and issue final as-builts

Some specific issues encountered and resolved through our planning have been:

• Successful conversions of typical office space into specialized data center environments
• Creation of "show place" data centers through introduction of interior design elements and colors, as well as extensive glass and upgraded lighting to create an upgraded image within a predominantly technical environment
• Addressing of unique security concerns through specialized partitions, window films or insert panels, and addition of upgraded hardware and security package for all doors, as well as addition of bollards to protect the adjacent building exterior from vehicle traffic
• Addressing "low" ceiling clearance conditions by either omitting raised floor or suspended ceilings in favor of exposed deck, extensive cable tray and pendant style linear lighting
• Addressing "loading" equipment access issues through addition of loading docks, ramping, specialized scissor lifts and alteration of exterior conditions to provide suitable areas for off-loading
• Addressing clients concerns on appearance of generator within main parking lot and landscaped island by the creation of (3) computer generated renderings showing proposed unit, retaining walls, and security enclosure, thereby convincing client and key decision makers to move forward
• Conversion of under used, "moth-balled," or extremely restrictive spaces or conditions into data center spaces through creative space planning efforts and extensive coordination with IT/Engineering team to meet the project needs. One such example involved eliminating the ramp for a data center requiring a raised floor and providing an exterior landing stairs and wheelchair lift to suit the ADA requirement, therefore preserving the maximum possible raised floor space for cabinets and equipment
  
  

Meyer Design, Inc
227 East Lancaster Ave. Ardmore, PA 19003
Tel: 610.649.8500 Fax: 610.649.8509 E-mail: jgould@meyer-associates.com

835 N. Tatnall St. Wimington, DE 19801
Tel: 302.575.1700 Fax: 302.575.1606 E-mail: jgould@meyer-associates.com