The world has become increasingly connected. Our cutting-edge smart devices grant us access to a limitless stream of information faster and more efficiently every day. To support the data that fuels our technology, there’s an ever-growing demand for external storage. Companies now are dealing in exabytes—that’s 1 billion gigabytes—and the need for such large storage capacities means businesses must work to keep up.
New data centers not only need to provide enough space to house equipment, they need to help reduce energy consumption, cost less to build (and operate), and get up and running quickly. Owners and operators look to optimize their current locations by choosing the most efficient building materials, which must be disaster resistant and sensitive to heat-load density.
With Fabcon Precast, data center owners and operators can position themselves to meet the needs of their existing and future clients. At Fabcon, we work directly with architects and engineers early in the planning process, because the earlier we’re engaged, the more we can help cut costs and time. Our solutions may influence the architect’s recommendations and design plans, which can help build a more efficient, durable and cost-effective data center.
Selecting the right building material is a significant component of data center planning. Fabcon Precast panels provide benefits at any Tier level. The combination of thermal performance, structural capabilities, and speed and durability make it a perfect value-based building material for Tier III and Tier IV buildings, for example. Inferior products can lead to long-term financial consequences such as higher utility bills, or even the worst-case scenario of a natural disaster harming your building or equipment.
our panels offer MANY ADvantages over site-cast panels, cmu and metal.
At Fabcon, we work directly with architects and engineers early in the planning process, because the earlier we’re engaged, the more we can help cut costs and time.
Fabcon’s VersaCore+Green™ wall systems meet the criteria for sustainability, giving buildings a higher percentage of recycled-product content (up to 58%), a higher level of energy efficiency (with continuous insulation and R-values up to 28.2), and the possibility for increased LEED points and tax credits. The panels’ exceptional load-bearing capabilities support equipment loads and protect your data from potential weather-related or security damage. Their durability improves the security of your structure while increasing the energy efficiency and reducing life cycle costs. This drives down your data center’s PUE.
FABCON’S PANELS ARE MANUFACTURED YEAR-ROUND IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT WITH CONSISTENT, DOCUMENTED QUALITY.
Our precast concrete panels offer advantages over site-cast panels, CMU and metal. Site-cast panels, for example, are subject to variable weather conditions and restrictive pouring conditions.
Site-cast manufacturing also limits the access of other trades to the construction site and often impacts construction schedules. It requires pouring on the slab and possible damage or use of casting-beds on-site, which further disrupts the job site and adds to cost and schedule.
Fabcon’s panels, by contrast, are manufactured year-round in a controlled environment with consistent, documented quality and arrive ready to erect.
Mother Nature poses another challenge for data center operation. Natural disasters are a growing concern, so it’s important to have wall panels that are highly resistant to damage. Fabcon’s panels offer a higher level of impact resistance and security for your building and what it protects. In a study conducted by the Wind Science & Engineering (WISE) Research Center at Texas Tech University to determine the debris impact resistance of Fabcon panels for tornado and DOE 1020-02 protocols, they concluded that all panels tested sufficiently withstood impact from airborne debris.
Fire is another concern. Fabcon panels can be modified for “solid” areas to meet Fire Manual requirements for fire ratings up to four hours. They also help control the internal environment. For example, the strength, density and insulation of VersaCore+Green create an insulated “sandwich” wall panel that provides very low permeance ratings (water vapor transmission) compared to other types of concrete construction. Fabcon wall panels are manufactured with high-strength concrete utilizing pre-stressed reinforcement, while incorporating integral insulation.
Today’s data centers have a lot of requirements. If you’re in charge of planning the construction of new data centers, the choices you make during the preliminary phase will have long-term implications.
Fabcon has been in the business for 45 years, so we understand the variables that go into building a data center, whether it’s a 10,000 square-foot facility or 1,000,000 square feet. Contact us today to speak with a sales engineer, who will be happy to answer your questions and discuss how precast concrete panels fit into your data center plans.
SaveSave
