Modular Solutions, Ltd: The Experts on Prefabricated Buildings: October 2016

How To Design Your IT Room, Five Great Tips

Almost every new modular building being constructed for traditional office space use has an IT room included. Over the years we have seen the evolution of this crucial space. Some manufacturers would just build a closet causing overheating, some manufacturers put in a large AC drop causing the AC units to freeze up or over cycle.

When you are depending on technology to run so many aspects of your business, how much would it cost you if your communication or data systems are down?

Here are a few tips to look at when you are designing your new modular building.

1. Size the room based on the amount of equipment you will have in your facility. Over sizing or undersizing a room can cause issues with the operations of your system.

2. Do not use the space for "storage" of other things. Frequently we will see designated IT rooms become storage for office and cleaning supplies or spare parts. Keep the IT room clean and free of clutter. If you need storage, design in additional storage rooms.

3. Static resistant flooring is the recommendation.

Use wood, laminate, tile, or some other easy maintenance non-static material for the floor covering in the IT room.

4. If you are not using a professional rack in the IT room, then make sure your include a backer board that is coated with a fire restive material. Some clients will even make the entire room a one hour fire rated room.

5. We recommend IT rooms have a mini-split system with a ductless cooling unit dedicated to that room.

In the event there are thermostat wars in the office spaces your IT room will remain cool and consistent based on the temperature setting you and your team select. Large data rooms can exhaust through the floor or crawl space if you design your facility using a professional team.

For more great tips and ideas about how to build a better modular building contact our team for a free consultation:

Modular Solutions, Ltd

Phone: 800-441-8577 x 1 (sales)

Email: Information@mod-sol.com

website: www.modularsolutionsltd.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Modularsolutionsltd

Tips On How To Build A Great Modular Building In Snow Country

It is that time of year when everyone starts to pull out their ski jackets and plan for the winter storms and cold weather.

There is a misconception that prefabricated or modular buildings can not be constructed to hold up to harsh winter conditions. When you have a great design team you are able to get a modular building that will keep you acclimated in the worst weather conditions.

Listed below are a few tips for consideration when planning a new modular building that will be placed in an extremely cold climate:

Insulation: Continuous insulation, with high R factors will allow the building envelope to keep your inside temperatures warmer and hold the heat in.
Roof snow load: Roof snow load in modular buildings are frequently at #60 or #80 roof snow load. Talk to your design professional and make sure your design will accommodate the heavy snow season
Mechanical Systems: Some clients are misinformed and think that they can only get those wall hung mechanical units that only have 9EER rating and use ALOT of electricity in the winter months. This is an archaic concept. Our modular buildings today have been equipped with VRF, Geothermal, Mini-splits, Package Units with high efficiency or gas heat. You will want to take your time and explore all the options, life cycle, and operational costs of the various systems out there and make an educated and informed decision.
Exposure: Site placement of your building using best practices for sun and wind exposure will help with overall cost management of heating and cooling costs.
Crawl space or slab: There are advantages and disadvantages to both, talk through the options with your design professional to get the best solution for your site.