The word “modular” in the data center industry has taken on many connotations. Almost anyone selling space to house computer equipment from container manufacturers to colocation providers uses the term “modular” to describe the value they bring to the real estate decision on where to house computer equipment. While each of these providers will say that their solution is best, the real answer is that modular can take on many forms based on the needs of the user.

As a consulting engineering firm focused on the design of data center facilities, our team uses the modular concept meaning “pay as you grow” to help end users understand how to right size their facilities to minimize upfront costs, yet evaluate the total cost of the overall phased build-out. This modular approach means designing infrastructure from the beginning that is flexible for the client’s growth. The exact approach depends on the overall business needs of the individual company.

There are two parameters that need to be considered when developing a modular growth and expansion strategy: First is determing the granularity of the growth modules, and the second is the anticipated timing of the growth. These two factors have the greatest influence on the design. The granularity of the growth refers to the number of steps of growth when expanding from the initial capacity to the ultimate capacity of the data center. There can be different growth steps for different systems (white space, UPS, cooling); however, efforts are typically made to closely match the steps or modulars of growth for each of the systems. The second factor is how the timing of the growth impacts the size of the growth module. If it is anticipated that growth from initial load to ultimate load will occur quickly, then the module of growth is typically larger. The reason for this so the facility is not in a continuous state expansion to match the load growth. If the growth will occur over a longer period of time, then more granularity is likely more appropriate.

Further complicating the analysis is the cost impact of these decisions. Typically, with increased granularity, there are increased costs to get to the ultimate build out; therefore, the analysis is to match the size of the modules with the business need, while not putting the client in a position of continual upgrades. Generally, if the expected build out over time is longer, the module of growth can be smaller and still meet the business needs without overspending on infrastructure.

Matching the Owner’s Requirements and the Infrastructure Design. With these two parameters determined, a range of solutions can be considered for the cooling systems and the electrical power infrastructure. Typically, we first consider electrical system options to develop solutions that match the modules of growth parameters. By their nature, electrical systems have more discrete sizing constraints so it is important to optimize these systems first to develop a cost-effective solution without stranded capacity.

Development of the cooling solutions then follows with the objective to match the growth parameters of the electrical solutions. Where electrical systems have discrete sizing, cooling systems tend to be more analog in nature, and a given component can have a range of capacities under different operating conditions. This analog nature of cooling systems allows us to closely match the cooling module size to the electrical module size.

Balancing Modularity with Reliability. Within every solution there are pros and cons that should be considered. While flexibility (which would include modularity) is a big driver in the decision-making process for a client, the user will also need to balance its other goals including reliability, load density, energy efficiency and maintainability. These factors will all influence the final module of growth decision.

Embracing Pre-Fabrication. Embracing the pre-fabrication concept in the design and construction of data centers can provide additional value to the modular or “pay-as-you-grow” strategy. The pre-fabrication concept has expanded beyond the container or proprietary systems to be custom designed, non-proprietary systems that are assembled off-site and brought to the site practically fully assembled.

By designing skid-mounted systems for the initial build and future expansion, users can achieve significant cost and schedule reductions. This process requires the engineering team to produce a complete set of construction documents that includes all fittings, valves and pieces of fully detailed equipment that allows a group of contractors to bid on these documents. The contractors are able to use their increased productivity working in a controlled environment as a competitive advantage that provides an overall cost reduction to the Owner. Based on previous projects, this savings is at least 20% over a traditional on-site construction approach. The time on site is also significantly reduced, which considerably reduces reliability concerns when working on an active data center environment.

The data center industry is full of hype with each company putting their own spin on why their solution is the best. The greatest defense against the hype is for owners to understand the pros and cons of each of their options and to determine the right solution based on their

Download the PDF version of this article

Swanson Rink has been awarded a contract to support T1 Partners JV for the Terminal 1 Redevelopment Program at San Francisco International Airport (SFO); a 1-year, on-call contract with the Joint Venture. Swanson Rink will provide engineering services for planning and pre-programming activities to support the Baggage Handling Systems for Terminal 1. The $2 billion, 10-year program consists of renovating Terminal 1 as well as demolishing and replacing Boarding Area B. Improvements will include 24 new aircraft gates, new consolidated passenger-screening checkpoints, new airline ticket counters, new concession facilities, a new consolidated common-use baggage handling system and checked baggage-screening system, and program-wide seismic upgrades. The facilities provided under the program will be built in accordance with LEED Gold standards. Swanson Rink has previously worked at SFO providing baggage handling system engineering services for the Terminal 1 BHS Recapitalization project, which consisted of the replacement of the existing obsolete Explosive Detection Systems equipment and will continue their effort under the T1 Partners’ contract.

Swanson Rink had a busy 2014 holiday season bringing joy to Volunteers of America’s Bannock Youth Center (BYC). We hosted the annual BYC holiday dinner on December 18th, which was complete with plenty of food and a visit from Santa Claus. This is a great opportunity for our employees to get over to the center and meet with the program staff and participants. This year, several Swanson Rink employees also opted to be a part of the “Adopt-a-Family” program, from which young families in need are able to obtain new Christmas gifts to be placed under the tree.

Our big holiday event this year was the “Adopt-a-Program” drive, which differs from “Adopt-A-Family” in that donations are given to the organization as a whole, not just individuals. Swanson Rink chose to sponsor the BYC’s program and participant needs for the 2015 year by holding a drive in our office for items needed. These items ranged anywhere from dish soap to TVs, but there was no shortage of anything on the list. A friendly competition between interoffice teams brought in hundreds of items for the center. Our employees went above-and-beyond bringing in donations, and even donated strollers, Wiis, cell phones, and other useful items that were not on the list! The BYC was happily overwhelmed by our response to their needs.

Swanson Rink is grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve the community through our involvement with the Bannock Youth Center and is thankful for our wonderful employees who continue to make it possible!

Robert (Bob) Yester, PE, Executive Vice President is retiring from Swanson Rink on December 31, 2013 after serving the company for 38 years. Mr. Yester has served in many roles at Swanson Rink including President from 1985-1992, but he is most known as an expert in electrical engineering for mission critical data center facilities.

For almost all of Bob’s career he has provided consulting engineering for the design and renovations of data centers for large and small companies including Comcast, Centurylink (including work under US West and Qwest), Safeway, Lockheed Martin, Federal Express, Viawest, Sabre and United Airlines to name a few. Bob Yester’s design concepts have been published in multiple national publications.

In 1988, Robert Yester, designed one of the first major dual power path data centers in the country for US West (now CenturyLink) in Omaha, Nebraska. This “system + system” concept was cutting-edge during the time and this data center was one of the first two data centers to be built with this new technology. When asked about this project, Mr. Yester commented that while a simple concept, “as they say, the devil is in the details, and there are a lot of details.” The dedication to diving into detailed design is what Mr. Yester is known for and the foundation upon which he built the Swanson Rink data center team.

More recently, Bob has been recognized for his work on the ViaWest Lone Mountain Data Center where his team developed a Uptime Institute Certified Tier IV electrical design with a target PUE of 1.2 utilizing a modular concept that allows capital expenditures for infrastructure to be aligned with the needs of ViaWest’s customers and also minimizes stranded capacity.

When asked by our clients what attributes they admire of him, it was his ability to engage with the client, listen to their needs, and develop solutions that meet those specific needs.

“I have had the unique opportunity of having been both first a client of Bob and then his design associate for the past 20 years, so I have watched and experienced how Bob can make every client feel that they were his most important client. He relishes the opportunity to explain how systems work and did it in such a way as to bring each of his clients into the conversation regardless of their technical background. His ability to listen to the client and then develop a solution to meet their needs is legendary.”
— Gary Orazio, PE, President, Swanson Rink

In 2013, Bob transitioned the management of the data center electrical team to Dan Heggem, PE, Vice President who has worked under Bob for over 23 years. During the past year Dan and Bob have worked together to ensure a smooth transition process in preparation for Bob’s retirement in December. Gary Orazio, PE, President will continue in his role as Project Executive overseeing Swanson Rink’s Data Center Practice, providing mechanical engineering leadership and leading data center business development, positions in which he has served for the past 20 years.

No one person can replace Bob, but he has trained a team of engineers to continue his dedication to detailed engineering. He will be missed by everyone at Swanson Rink.