Data Center Roofing: A Critical Mission

Have you ever been to a data center?

If you checked your email today, or used the Internet at all, the answer to that is “YES”!

Speaking of data centers, worldwide data is growing by leaps and bounds, with IDC estimating 175 Zettabytes by 2025. ZETTABYTES!!!!

So what does this mean for Roofing?

More Roofs! Sorry… we get excited about roofing :) More Data Center Roofs!!!

What’s so special about Data Center Roofs?

• Priority
• Climate Control
• Energy
  

Mission-Critical Priority

Data centers are home to computers (servers) that we depend on almost every minute of our technology-driven lives. A few examples of critical information systems found in data centers include:

• Credit Card Processing
• Flight Traffic Control
• Health Information Systems

Losing access to any of these services could be catastrophic. They are truly critical to our businesses and lives.

Climate Control

From cooling server CPU temperatures, to humidity and reduction of static electricity, data centers are equipped with some serious HVAC equipment.

This translates into more roof penetrations, and more roof penetrations mean more places for roofs to leak!

What happens when water comes into contact with rooms filled with computers and electronic equipment? We do our best to never find out.

Along with HVAC equipment comes maintenance and foot traffic. Roofs are not designed for heavy foot traffic! However, with the right planning, roofing-specific walk pads and periodic service, your roof will remain intact throughout the service schedule of your HVAC and other rooftop equipment.

Energy

Data centers can use as much energy as a town, and they can generate enough heat to warm thousands of homes.

Whether you’re planning to incorporate solar energy to reduce operating costs, or just want to ensure that your roof will help cool the building rather than produce more heat, your roof system is a very important part of this equation.

Further, it’s not uncommon to upgrade HVAC equipment for energy savings. With most of it going on the roof, it’s best to coordinate the installation and retrofitting with a roofer that is familiar with your building’s roof system.

Summing Up…

Roof leaks and downtime at data centers are exponentially more expensive than almost any other building. Consulting a roofing expert about the right roof system early in the design process and making time for proper planning, installation, and ongoing service will pay for itself many times over.