Data Centers: Integrating Structural Engineering for Optimal Performance (Daryl Barone)

Overview

The article was published by Daryl Barone in the Spring 2025 issue of 7x24 Exchange Magazine (p. 7). It outlines structural design issues specific to data centers: high floor loads, multi-storey halls with stacked generators, lateral force systems that must leave large wall openings for heat rejection, wind and seismic design at Risk Category IV, expansion joints and heavy rooftop equipment. It stresses early coordination of brace and shear-wall locations with hot/cold aisles and MEP routes.

On floor loads, the typical commercial live load is 100-150 psf, while data center racking typically generates about 400 psf. Multi-storey data centers can have story heights over 30 ft and buildings up to 90 ft above grade, often with stacked generators. Cooling equipment can require about 25% of total wall area to be open, which constrains brace and shear-wall locations. Intermediate braces occur about every 100 ft parallel to the short dimension.

On wind and seismic resistance, designing to Risk Category IV instead of II raises wind and seismic design loads by roughly 50%. A typical footprint is just over 200 ft wide and about 1,000 ft long for a single storey, or 650 ft for two or three storeys. Where MEP crosses expansion joints, flexible connections allowing movement in all directions are needed, and fitting limits can govern allowable building drift.

Rooftop and platform-mounted chillers can weigh tens of thousands of pounds and must be in the initial structural budget. The piece is a magazine article and does not replace the detailed requirements of related codes such as ASCE 7 and IBC. The numbers rest on US practice and US units (psf, ft); load and seismic regulations applicable in the project's own country must be used separately.

Key points

1. Typical commercial live load is 100-150 psf; data center racking typically generates about 400 psf.
2. Multi-storey data centers can have story heights over 30 ft and buildings up to 90 ft above grade, often with stacked generators.
3. Cooling equipment can require about 25% of total wall area to be open, constraining brace and shear-wall locations.
4. Intermediate braces occur about every 100 ft parallel to the short dimension.
5. Designing to Risk Category IV instead of II raises wind and seismic design loads by roughly 50%.
6. Typical footprint is about 200 ft x 1,000 ft (single storey) or 650 ft (two or three storeys).
7. MEP crossing expansion joints needs flexible connections for movement in all directions.
8. Rooftop and platform-mounted chillers can weigh tens of thousands of pounds and must be in the initial structural budget.

Using it in design

• Add a floor design load field (default 400 psf / about 19 kPa for white space) and check rack and liquid-cooling weight against it.
• Flag brace and shear-wall gridlines that clash with aisles.
• Offer Risk Category IV as the default structural classification for mission-critical buildings.
• Plan MEP routes with flexible connections at expansion joints and include fitting limits in the building drift check.
• Include the weight of rooftop and platform chillers in the structural budget at an early stage.

Who should read it

Designers and project managers coordinating architecture, structure and MEP for data center buildings.

Related standards

• ASCE 7
• IBC

Publication details

Authors

Daryl Barone

Publisher

7x24 Exchange Magazine

Year

2025

Document number

Spring 2025 issue, p. 7

Document language

English

Source type

Industry body

Access

Free to read

Licence

Copyright retained; citation only — the publisher’s terms apply to the original document

Citation