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Business
THE ROLE OF CONSULTING MECHANICAL ENGINEERS IN DATA CENTRE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
By Eamonn Ryan
In the intricate world of data centre design and construction , consulting mechanical engineers play a pivotal role in shaping the future of these technological hubs .
Jonker Bester , a director at Spoormaker & Partners , explains that the process initiates with a critical document known as the Owner Project Requirements ( OPR ) – essentially a design brief by the data-hosting project owner , outlining the project ' s fundamental needs . This can vary quite considerably , depending on how clients approach this stage . “ They have expectations at the outset – for instance , a hosting space for 300 or 600 racks at 2kW or 5kW per rack . Some clients adopt a streamlined , blueprint design process with consultants having taken the design up to stage 3 , which then goes to tender among general local contractors .”
However , in a more traditional process , the path involves a meticulous journey by the consulting engineer through stages 1 to 6 , encompassing design , tendering and implementation with the chosen contractors . “ The OPR serves as the cornerstone , guiding the entire design process , even if the client is not initially formal in articulating their requirements .”
Sometimes it is necessary to extract essential information from clients , for which purpose consulting engineers utilise design brief sheets . These sheets cover crucial aspects like the number of racks , kilowatts per rack , desired footprint , and the need for ancillary spaces such as staging and operator rooms . Bester notes that sometimes the project owner ’ s own clients will utilise some space and may have extremely specific requirements . The design brief acts as a guiding document , aligning the client ' s vision with the technical aspects of the project .
The collaboration between consulting engineers and architects is crucial from the early conceptualisation stages . “ Depending on the project ' s scale , the mechanical solution can range from a DX CRAC solution for smaller 100kW to 200kW switching centres , which wouldn ’ t require a chiller plant ; to more intricate designs for larger data centres . The emergence of containerised data centres is a contemporary approach that is growing in popularity , allowing for efficient testing and deployment , where a DX solution also works well .”
All images supplied by Spoormaker & Partners
Jonker Bester , a director at Spoormaker & Partners .
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RACA Journal I March 2024 www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za