Architects have always been an important stakeholder during the transition from the design phase to the building phase of data centres, where they help translate a client’s brief (including floor plan, security, space planning and maintenance access for cooling and power requirements) into detailed design documents.

However, they have seldom been asked for their opinions on the requirements themselves. But as data centres become ever more complex and the pressure to cut costs mounts, the creative mind of the architect is increasingly being called upon.

Data Centre World Singapore speaker and mission critical architect Will Ringer attests to the importance of an architect’s eye to data centre design. Will has experience with large US hyperscale clients, serving as project architect for three years on a hyperscale project in Holland, and with some of the largest engineering firms. He has helped design and deliver around fifteen other mission critical projects, ranging from two to 96MW in size, totalling over 1.5 million square feet of critical environment.

What value do architects offer to facility design? Will claims it is to do with their distinct mindset. While an engineer might simply tell a client if their requirements are achievable and challenge the engineering approach, an architect asks questions that make clients revisit requirements — identifying ways to save money, save time or make money by squeezing in more capacity.

A case in point is how Will challenges widely-followed industry standards, including the 5.5-metre floor-to-floor height. When working on multi-storey projects (an increasingly common kind of facility due to land value) or even single-level campuses, Will puts it to the client that shaving centimetres off every floor can generate capex savings, and that shaving centimetres off every storey can make room for an extra floor (in some locations).

“If the client brief is for a 5.5m floor to floor, ‘The limits of 5.5 metres would then be defined’, the engineer would say, ‘That clearance works for the solution.’ But many will not challenge the brief. Architects need to challenge this mindset. It’s not really an engineering mindset.”

Will Ringer, Project Director

“[The technologies] have not been fully-realised yet, but now the terminology is now starting to make a lot more sense. If BIM software could become an open platform, it might incentivise large technology firms to invest more heavily and increase adoption across other sectors.”

Will Ringer, Project Director

While digital twins have been an essential tool in the energy, gas and power industries for some time, it is only in the past three to four years that hyperscale clients have been harnessing them, as they desperately explore ways to reduce PUE and increase efficiency.

For smaller customers, the cost of hiring an engineering firm or architects to produce a full model can be prohibitive, but Will points out the cost savings available. Another upside is environmental, as they are able to reduce the amount of energy a facility may use.

“Even if you own ten or fifteen small operations in a city or globally, with [a digital twin] you can manage all of those facilities in one place and understand what’s going wrong in one place and what’s going right in another. It starts giving you a very clear picture of the issues, from an operational side, from a building design side, and actually from a building asset side, because you actually understand what you’ve got.”

Will Ringer, Project Director

The article was originally published for Techerati Magazine. Click to view the original article.