Site Selection

FGC Construction has much extensive experience doing data center site selection on existing facilities. Converting warehouse facilities, old credit card processing facilities, dc telecom sites into AC data center builds, and shopping center conversion to data center. There may be an Ex telecom facility which has existing power, or a site that is in good proximity to fiber. These opportunities are out there and provide a cost-effective way to “piggy back” off of existing building attributes to get a head start on data center capacity and infrastructure. FGC Construction’s team of professionals can be involved during the touring process to assist a customer in identifying quality and poor facility attributes. Provide the buyer valuable information to estimate costs to convert an existing site. Or compare the build out costs of one site vs. the other.

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A needs assessment establishes the baseline for your overall data center design.
It is a much needed step in the process to establish the requirements and “wants” of the IT department.
Too often a data center is designed top down and in the end the IT Department doesn’t end up with what they intended to have.

The needs assessment covers technology choices such as:

• Electrical System Choices
• N, N+1, 2N, A+B Configuration of UPS Systems
• N, N+1, 2N, A+B Configuration of Generator Systems
• Power Distribution Systems
  • a-PDU distribution to RPP on data center floor
  • b-PDU on data center floor direct distribute to racks
  • c-Redundant Dual corded power to each rack
  • d-overhead power distribution vs under floor
• Control Systems: SWGR, Building, HVAC, Gens, UPS, PDU
• Monitoring: @ Branch Circuit, @PDU, @RPP
• Technology Choices: Efficiency Comparisons, Factory Tours, Customer Site Visits

Mechanical System Choices

• Capacity Planning, Technology choices
• Air Cooled, Chilled Water, Indirect Evaporative, Direct Evaporative
• Hot Aisle/Cold Aisle, Chimney Systems, Top Down Cooling vs raised floor
• Redundancy Configurations
• PUE Expectations
• Control Systems: Aisle Temperature settings, air delivery control, return air
• Monitoring: In Aisle, In Rack,
• Technology Choices: Efficiency Comparisons, Factory Tours, Customer Site Visits

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This is where FGC Construction creates value for the customer. Our practical field experience and numerous years working the design teams allow us to look for other options and identify value engineering when the budget is being tested. Our loyalty is to the owner and their project budget.
It’s our job to translate the company vision and objective to the formation of the design.

From concept design, the FGCC team can create budget estimates. This stage allows the customer to remain active in the design and budget formation process. This is important as choices in capacities, or technologies can swing budgets very fast. The design and budget often fluctuate greatly in the beginning. Once you land in an acceptable range for both we can move ahead into drawing stage.

Data Center Design Process

1. Concept Data Center Design
2. Capacities Discussion
3. Budget Estimate
4. Re-work
5. Final Budget Estimate and Concept Design
6. Bid Estimates for trades (Narrow in on Budget)
7. Engineered Drawings
8. Plan Set

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FGC Construction has extensive experience with budgeting data center projects small and large. With 25 years and over $225m in projects completed, our team can quickly give you an idea of scope and cost based on your ideas for sizing of your project. This is a huge value for our customers. You should budget estimate prior to spending engineering costs. Not that the engineering component isn’t one of the most important. Knowing the rough cost magnitude of large capacity items from day one allows our customers to quickly focus on realistic goals, outlined by their total budget.

Some budget discussion examples are:

• Critical data center load capacity and building load capacity
• Rack density
• Electrical and mechanical redundancy
• Mechanical cooling methods
• Fire suppression and detection systems
• Building Management System (BMS) platforms
• Building Automation System (BAS) platforms
• Testing and commissioning
• Future phase preparation and design
• Networkability and connectivity