BIM

Data centers are among the most complex building types, requiring a significant amount of coordination among Building Team members, often with a compressed schedule and in tight spaces. Perhaps no other project type stands to benefit more from coordination using building information modeling and virtual design and construction than data centers.

Data centers have huge mechanical and electrical capacities for their footprint which can be up to 30 times of the typical office building. Also, the equipment is typically concentrated outside the server halls to reduce risk to the IT equipment. All these factors create incredibly dense equipment spaces and major duct, pipe, and conduit distribution routings.

BIM helps AIRSYS designers confirm that the equipment and distribution can all fit, verify maintenance and service clearances, and analyze pressure drop and voltage drop with the actual routing. BIM’s precise routing allows AIRSYS designers to model the heat dissipation and adjust the electrical duct bank configuration accordingly.

Data center projects are typically phased to optimize the CAPEX. Often, the initial capacity target shifts during design and construction due to leasing activity and the difficulty of projecting the need for IT computing power. By adding a phasing element to the BIM model, the team can analyze the cost, schedule, and energy consumption at different phase steps, after the day-one construction is complete, BIM supports future development with an accurate record of the installed condition, allowing AIRSYS team to plan future deployments with confidence.