An ever-growing number of critical industries – from healthcare and government agencies to finance and manufacturing – now rely on data centers, firmly cementing these facilities at the heart of our digital lives. Given the increasing demand for always-on operations, data centers are innovating at pace, yet with caution.

The industry is racing to deploy modern solutions that provide proactive monitoring and detailed insight into each and every aspect of operations in order to mitigate risk and safeguard uptime. And while innovations are rolling out thick and fast, these come tried-and-tested with reliability, quality, and performance pre-determined.

Despite this focus on shielding operations, there’s one crucial aspect of facility design and construction – central to protecting the essential IT equipment housed inside from external hazards – that is too often overlooked: effective weatherproofing.

Naturally, with huge volumes of electrical data running throughout data centers, any potential water ingress poses a significant threat to equipment and uptime. Rolling the dice on structural integrity by putting weatherproofing on the back burner or adopting outdated methods is a risk today’s operators simply cannot afford to take.

Providing a safe pair of hands, Matthew Jones, commercial director at Jones Weatherproofing, shares why the industry can’t continue to take a rain check on weatherproofing, and what constitutes a comprehensive strategy for long-lasting protection.

The first line of defense

It’s easy to assume that as critical digital infrastructure, data centers are designed and built to be strong and durable from the get go – making watertightness and weatherproofing an intrinsic part of the package. But delivering these must-haves isn’t as simple as drawing up plans for a sturdy shell.

Facilities require vertical penetrations: holes in the main superstructure where pipes, ducts, cable trays, and other essential equipment can enter or exit the building.

Vertical penetrations are common in a wide range of large, typically commercial buildings, yet data centers are unique in the volume of openings they require. Though essential to the construction process, each and every penetration represents a potential weak point for water ingress:

“When it comes to data centers, risk is amplified. Not just due to their importance and inherent value, but also because of the scale of the power, cooling, and cabling infrastructure that run through the building via a network of penetrations.”

Greater power and cooling demands, more connectivity, and higher densities at the rack level are all driving today’s design and planning decisions – particularly for AI-ready infrastructure – and making vertical penetrations more crucial, and numerous, than ever.

“The rising levels of complexity inside data centers means that being able to position the equipment inside the building via external walls in a time- and space-efficient way is now mission critical,” adds Jones.

“And when we consider the huge range of locations that data centers are being constructed today – especially within dense urban areas where space is at a premium – vertical penetrations are the best way to maximize square footage and get all the critical components fed inside safely.”

The sheer volume of vertical penetrations means that weatherproofing cannot become an afterthought. While these openings help to maximize space availability on site, organizing access to each penetration for weatherproofing must also be considered – whether building on a tight plot, or across a vast campus of interconnected facilities.

Nothing left to chance

“Traditionally, in construction – especially on commercial warehouses and buildings – a lot of main contractors will balance cost versus risk,” says Jones. “But obviously when it comes to data centers, the cost of downtime and damage to IT equipment is far greater compared to that usually found in commercial buildings.”

The necessity for a growing number of vertical penetrations, plus increasing demand for uninterrupted operations positions weatherproofing as a central tenet of design and planning, providing protection from roof to rack – so why does it typically slide down the priority list? Jones explains:

“What we see happening is that when these buildings are being designed, the location of penetrations are put on the drawings, the equipment is fitted through, and the hole that’s been created is then left on the back burner to be dealt with at the last minute.”

The crux of the issue boils down to responsibility. Jones believes that, all too often, weatherproofing decisions are kicked down the line across the project delivery team, before ultimately circling back to the operator, who then has to put a plan into place after the facility has been built.

Thanks to its bespoke approach, Jones Weatherproofing is able to adapt swiftly on site and deliver effective, reliable protection within the final stages of a project if required. But to streamline time, cost, and complexity – early engagement with a specialist team is the best starting point.

“Anything can look good on a drawing,” says Jones. “However, when a project gets off the page and into the real world, things change and challenges inevitably arise – but weatherproofing doesn’t have to be one of them.”

Go bespoke

From cabling setups and software management systems to the infrastructure itself, flexibility is a must-have throughout modern data centers, and for weatherproofing, it’s no different. When things inevitably change on site, it’s vital to have a bespoke, adaptable solution in place, with an expert team that’s prepared to pivot.

“In many ways, onsite alterations often come down to simple human error,” explains Jones. “It may be the case that the M&E contractor has forgotten to run some cabling through the building, and the nature of our product and services is that we can move penetrations, cut them larger or smaller, and make changes at the drop of a hat.”

This flexibility also minimizes waste. By manufacturing the right solution on site, only the exact amount of flashings or metal sheetings required are used – driving sustainability, cost efficiency, and also freeing up valuable space for the rest of the onsite teams.

“We’re not using large custom flashings that have been premade – instead we work with minimal tools, materials, and products which reduces storage space and means we can get in and around the openings, and stay out of the way of the construction process,” says Jones.

Traditional approaches involve fitting prefabricated plates crossed over one another, mechanically fixed in place, and then sealed with a mastic. Due to the way in which they’re cut, the plating can develop rust at the joints, leading to pitting which can then cause damage to the walls of the building itself.

This one-size-fits all approach is no longer up to standard for today’s critical facilities. The use of mastics – which are unsuitable for use in a range of climates – only provides around a five year life span, compared with the 25-year warranty offered by Jones Weatherproofing’s bespoke liquid-based approach.

A watertight strategy

It’s evident that the industry requires a rethink of best practices when it comes to weatherproofing. For Jones, this means the sooner the better:

“Before a project begins to break ground we need to be involved in strategizing how we can make it easier to weather the penetrations, because M&E contractors aren't going to be the ones to take the initiative – they’re focused on getting their services run through.”

The later an expert team is engaged on a project, the greater the complexity of the work required. Early-stage planning delivers easy access to the openings themselves, making weatherproofing smooth and seamless, and by extension, reducing the time and cost for onsite work.

Capturing these benefits requires key stakeholders – from architects and specifiers down to operators themselves – to establish a shared understanding of the value of effective weatherproofing, and start prioritizing the right strategies.

“The ideal situation sees us working with architects and specifiers from the very early design stages, before then collaborating with main contractors to communicate the design plans and costing, through to where we can then carry out regular site visits and advise on things like access requirements,” adds Jones.

Tightening the knowledge gap

The rate at which data centers are scaling up demands the products and approaches that underpin operations to innovate at a similar pace. Jones is confident that the company’s bespoke products and strategies means that it’s not weatherproofing that needs to catch up with the rate of change, but perspectives:

“We're confident that our product will far outlast the building’s actual roofing panels – it's that robust. And rather than us continuously looking for the next best thing, it’s about educating the industry as to what best practice should be.”

While the size, shape, and capacity of data centers will continue to change over time, the right weatherproofing strategies are already here – they’re tried and tested, and specially designed to flex to today’s demands, ahead of tomorrow’s.

If data centers are to weather the storm of next-gen challenges on the horizon, papering over the cracks isn’t an option. Instead, weatherproofing must become an inseparable aspect of design, planning, and construction.

To discuss creating a bespoke weatherproofing strategy for your next data center project please visit https://www.jones-weatherproofing.com/need-help-with-a-project