Key learnings from Andrew Newland’s AWCI’s webinar on data centers
By Mark L. Johnson
In an AWCI webinar now available on YouTube, Andrew Newland, PE, principal at ADTEK Engineers, unpacked the framing challenges behind today’s data-center boom. He explained why cold-formed steel (CFS) has become an essential material for contractors working in this sector. The session, “How Cold-Formed Steel Is Helping Shape the Future in Data Centers,” blended engineering detail with practical field insights. Watch the video on YouTube.
A Market Expanding at Hyperscale
Newland said the demand for data centers is surging. Globally, the market could triple by 2030. Hyperscalers, a campus with many data centers, will drive roughly 70% of that growth, he said.
Northern Virginia dominates in projects due to its low natural-disaster risk, low-cost electricity, existing high-speed connectivity, and appealing tax incentives. Other fast-growing data center hubs include Dallas, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, the New York Tri-State area, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami and Phoenix.
Data centers may look like “big, non-descript boxes,” Newland said, but their structural design and construction demands are far from simple. Such buildings routinely require:
- Great than 20’ slab-to-slab heights
- Parapets approaching 15’
- Long spans that require kickers and rigid framing
Those conditions make CFS products indispensable for both exterior and interior framing.
High Pressures and More
Most data center shells today are precast concrete or tilt-up panels. CFS is often used to add architectural features, and for stairwells and signage support. Use of CFS calls for navigating some complex attachment conditions, Newland said.
He showed details where long exterior soffits and canopies required rigid kicker bracing and fixed-clip connections to post-tensioned slabs. When precast panels have multiple layers, crews must verify whether shallow anchors, deep adhesive anchors or alternative fasteners are allowed and even required.
The interior design pressure is higher in many areas of these buildings. Unlike typical interiors designed for 5 pounds per square foot (PSF) loads, data center corridors frequently see 10, 15 and even 20 PSF due to the high-volume air movement used for cooling.
Higher pressure in different directions and magnitudes increases the requirement for thicker, structural framing, and excludes “non-structural” framing for these partitions and ceilings, Newland said. Tall louver walls, plenum corridors, partial walls with walkable ceilings and guardrail-loaded walls call for special engineering.
Structural Ceilings and HAC
Perhaps the most technical portion of the presentation involved structural ceilings. Contractors may encounter either proprietary ceiling systems or full strut-grid systems hung directly from the building structure.
Newland reviewed strut nomenclature and discussed slotted versus unslotted members and load reductions. He cautioned the audience about making substitutions. “Not all struts are equal,” he said. Grid spacing can range from 2’×4’ on up to 8’ 1-5/8” × 8′ 1-5/8”.
Rounding out the session, Newland addressed Hot Aisle Containment structures, which—hang beneath the structural ceiling. While HAC loads are typically light—around 5 PSF—connections must match system limitations.
Unique Projects
Data centers are expanding rapidly, and with them cold-formed steel framing systems. Tall walls, high interior pressures, long-span ceilings and specialized attachment conditions make these projects far from routine. Understanding the details early—and getting engineering support—will help greatly in delivering stable and compliant facilities in this fast-growing market, Newland said.
Mark L. Johnson writes for the walls and ceilings industry. He can be reached via LinkedIn.com/in/markjohnsoncommunications.