Steel Detailing for Data Centers
Data center construction is one of the fastest-growing and most demanding sectors in U.S. industrial real estate. These facilities require structural steel that integrates precisely with massive mechanical, electrical, and cooling systems — and the projects run on schedules that most commercial projects can't match. Tectonix delivers data center steel packages with the speed and coordination precision this sector demands.
Market Context
The Data Centers Landscape
Cloud computing growth, AI infrastructure investment, and domestic data sovereignty requirements are driving a data center construction boom across the U.S. — particularly in Northern Virginia, Phoenix, Dallas, Chicago, and emerging Tier 2 markets. Hyperscale facilities from AWS, Microsoft, Google, and Meta are measured in hundreds of megawatts; colocation operators build in 20–50MW phases. These facilities are structurally complex: raised floor and overhead cable tray systems, massive UPS and generator room framing, cooling tower and chiller plant steel, and the critical requirement that every system be accessible for maintenance without disrupting adjacent live infrastructure.
Common Project Types
What We Detail in Data Centers
- Hyperscale data center campuses (multiple 50–100MW buildings)
- Colocation and multi-tenant data centers
- Edge computing facilities and carrier hotels
- Backup power and generator yard structures
- Cooling tower and chiller plant steel
- Overhead cable tray and raised floor support systems
- Battery energy storage system (BESS) enclosures
- Data center build-to-suit suburban campuses
What Makes It Hard
Data centers look like industrial warehouses from the outside. Inside, the structural coordination requirements are closer to a hospital or semiconductor fab.
Here's what fabricators in data centers face — and how Tectonix is built to handle it.
Dense MEP Coordination
Data centers have some of the highest MEP density of any building type. Structural framing must coordinate with overhead cable trays, cooling infrastructure, generator exhaust routing, and fuel distribution systems.
Critical Schedule Pressures
Hyperscale operators and colocation providers have contractual delivery commitments to customers. Steel detailing delays cascade directly to equipment installation delays — project teams leave little margin for detailing errors.
Mechanical and Electrical Room Complexity
UPS rooms, switchgear galleries, generator enclosures, and battery storage rooms have specific structural requirements: vibration isolation, seismic anchorage, heavy equipment pads, and precise overhead clearances.
Modular and Phased Construction
Many data centers are built in phases to match customer demand. Steel packages must support phased erection with clear demarcation between phases and provisions for future connections.
Typical Scope
What a Data Centers Package Includes
- Primary structural steel shop drawings for data hall and support buildings
- UPS room, switchgear gallery, and generator enclosure framing
- Cooling infrastructure: chiller plant steel, cooling tower supports
- Cable tray support systems and overhead routing structures
- Seismic anchorage details for critical electrical and mechanical equipment
- Tekla 3D model for dense MEP coordination programs
Tectonix Capability
What We Bring to Data Centers
Tectonix has detailed structural steel for data center projects ranging from 20MW colocation facilities to multi-building hyperscale campus phases. We understand the coordination intensity of data center BIM programs and the accountability that hyperscale operators require from every trade on their projects.
- Data hall structural framing with overhead MEP coordination
- Critical facility equipment support: UPS, switchgear, generator bases
- Cooling infrastructure steel — chiller plants, cooling towers, dry coolers
- Dense cable tray and raised floor structural systems
- Full Tekla 3D model with IFC export for hyperscale BIM programs
- Phased drawing release matched to data center build-out schedule
Full-Service Detailing
Steel Detailing Services for Data Centers
Every service below is available to data centers fabricators — managed by a U.S. project manager and produced to AISC standards.
Shop Drawings
Complete fabrication-ready shop drawings produced in Tekla Structures. Piece mark drawings, assembly drawings, anchor bolt plans, and CNC output files.
Erection Drawings
Framing plans, elevation views, column schedules, and connection sequencing drawings that give erectors everything they need in the field.
Tekla 3D Modeling
Full 3D parametric models that drive drawing extraction, clash detection, CNC output, and BIM deliverables with single-model accuracy.
BIM Coordination
IFC, Navisworks NWC, and Revit-compatible exports. Our U.S. PMs join coordination meetings and manage clash resolution in real time.
Miscellaneous Steel
Stairs, handrails, mezzanines, equipment platforms, grating, and embeds detailed to the same standard as primary structural.
Connection Design Support
Connection development from EOR-provided loads, coordinated with your engineer of record throughout the submittal cycle.
CNC / DSTV Files
NC1/DSTV files, DXF plate processing, and XML files for drill lines, beam processors, and plasma/laser tables.
U.S. Project Management
A dedicated U.S.-based project manager is your single point of contact — same time zone, direct line, real accountability.
Project Example
Tectonix in Data Centers
Tectonix detailed the structural steel for a 48MW colocation data center in Northern Virginia — two data halls, a central utility plant, and backup generator yard. We released drawings in three construction phases over 18 weeks and managed 11 rounds of MEP coordination revisions without a single hold at erection.
FAQ
Data Centers Steel Detailing — Frequently Asked Questions
What makes data center structural detailing different from standard industrial detailing?
The density and coordination requirements are an order of magnitude higher. Data centers have overhead cable trays, cooling pipe racks, condenser water distribution, generator exhaust systems, and electrical gear all competing for the same space. Our Tekla models integrate with MEP models in real time — we find clashes before they hit the field.
Can you detail seismic anchorage for critical data center equipment?
Yes. UPS systems, batteries, switchgear, and generators all require seismic anchorage in most U.S. jurisdictions. We detail structural anchorage in coordination with equipment vendors and the EOR's seismic anchorage calculations. Critical facility equipment anchorage is not something we treat as standard catalog detail work.
How do you support phased data center construction programs?
We structure the Tekla model and drawing package by phase from the outset. Phase 1 drawings are released and QA-checked independently. Future-phase connections are shown on Phase 1 drawings as 'future work' with clear marking to prevent field installation of structural elements that interfere with later phases.
Do hyperscale operators have specific BIM or drawing standard requirements?
Yes — major hyperscale operators and their preferred GCs often have specific Tekla model requirements, IFC export standards, and drawing format requirements. Our U.S. PM reviews owner-specific BIM execution plans at project kickoff and confirms our deliverable format matches before detailing begins.
Have more questions about data centers steel detailing?
Fabricator Knowledge Base
Common Questions from Data Centers Fabricators
Answers to the technical questions fabricators in data centers ask most — from our full Q&A knowledge base.
Ready to Start Your Data Centers Project?
Send us your plans and specs. A U.S. project manager will review your scope and respond within 24–48 business hours — at no cost.