Southern Steel Engineers has provided delegated structural design services for data centers across eight different states, supporting several major technology companies. Our scope included connection design, miscellaneous steel design, stair and rail design, and shop drawing review across building configurations ranging from one to five stories tall. Designs often included generator platforms and structural design elements for mechanical and electrical yards.

Connection Scope
SSE scope included vertical bracing and axial connections, with seismic design considerations incorporated for facilities located in seismic regions. Moment connections, horizontal bracing connections, and a wide variety of HSS connection configurations were also tailored to each facility’s framing system.

SSE also developed connection designs for facility fit-outs, and shroud and screen wall systems. These designs included tall braced frames with HSS beams and columns subject to axial forces, horizontal shear, and other combined loads.

Miscellaneous Steel Scope
The miscellaneous steel scope across these projects included access structures and support platforms for data center operations.

This work encompassed multi-story stair towers up to five stories, typically featuring concrete-filled pan stairs, with some designed with checkered plate systems. Additional stair systems included roof access stairs, CSH or Dahu multistory access stairs, and platform or trestle access stairs and rails. The scope also included CSH rails and ladders, and penthouse and elevator access ladders and platforms. Water tank crossover stairs were designed to accommodate site-specific equipment layouts. Ramp rails and cast-in-place (CIP) stair rails were also part of the overall miscellaneous steel package.

Generator platforms for these projects ranged from approximately 8'×30' to 15'×70' and were typically 2 to 3 feet tall. These platforms featured grating infill and bolted two- or three-line guardrail systems, along with coordinated platform stairs and railings.