Easier Data Center Expansion with Scalable Metal Building Systems

Regardless of public awareness, data centers form the backbone of digital infrastructure: housing the servers, networking equipment, and storage systems that are crucial for maintaining society’s daily operations. However, expanding a data center involves more than just adding servers, or putting in more shelving.

Data center expansion requires additional physical space, structural integrity, and a design that accommodates future growth—all while maintaining strict security.

Metal building systems provide the perfect solution, offering the strength, scalability, and efficiency needed to meet evolving infrastructure demands. Read on to learn how these innovative structures can help your data center grow smoothly.

Strength and Durability for Long-Term Use

Metal building systems are designed with strength in mind, using materials like steel.

Durable steel can easily withstand extreme weather conditions and resists wear over time.

Your building is better able to withstand temperature changes, snow, wind, rain, and sun. Most metal building systems are designed around products with extremely long lifespans.

This means reduced maintenance costs and a long-lasting structure that protects your servers and important equipment. A durable, robust metal building ensures your infrastructure’s safety, providing peace of mind that your data center can endure various environmental challenges for into the future.

Fast and Efficient Construction

Time is of the essence in any construction project, especially when your data center is at capacity and needs to expand quickly.

Metal building systems offer the advantage of pre-engineered components that can be manufactured off-site and swiftly assembled on-site. When your system arrives at the job site, the parts are in order and pre-punched for quick assembly by a trained crew.

This approach not only reduces labor costs but also significantly shortens project timelines, enabling you to get your data center operational faster.

Scalability to Meet Future Demands

Metal buildings are modular, and when it’s time for more space, you can easily add more room to your facility. Metal building structures can be easily expanded to accommodate more servers, cooling systems, and other essential equipment—without expensive building modifications or the need for time-consuming remodeling.

Whether you’re adding an extra wing or extending the current facility’s height, metal buildings allow for seamless growth without needing a complete overhaul of the existing structure. This makes future expansions more manageable and cost-effective, providing the flexibility needed as your business demands increase.

Cost-Effective Construction Solution

The materials used in metal buildings are generally less expensive than those used in traditional brick-and-mortar construction, and the efficiency of the construction process requires fewer labor hours.

Steel buildings are energy efficient, helping to reduce your ongoing operational costs related to heating, cooling, and electricity consumption. With reduced upfront and long-term costs, metal buildings deliver excellent value for data center expansions.

Customizable Design Options

Metal buildings are highly versatile and customizable, making them an excellent choice for data center expansion. You can design a building that meets your industry and brand’s requirements, from the layout to specialized ventilation systems or a custom wood-framed office area.

Need extra cooling capacity for your servers? Metal buildings can be adapted to include advanced HVAC systems, fire suppression systems, and even unique design elements that align with your company’s branding.

Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Solutions

Steel is 100% recyclable and can be reused at the end of the structure’s life cycle.

As an industry, pre-engineered steel buildings support energy-efficient designs, including features like reflective roofing and insulated wall panels.

Using energy-efficient components can help reduce the overall carbon footprint of your data center. You can also qualify for tax incentives and LEED credits, to save on operating costs.

Adaptability to Changing Technology

Metal building systems provide the adaptability needed to modify or upgrade facilities as technology and market trends change.

For example, as new server technologies demand different layouts or bigger cooling systems, your facility can be reconfigured without requiring extensive renovations. This flexibility is a key advantage for data centers, helping future-proof your business and reducing your need for costly rebuilds.

We work with industry leader industry leader Butler Manufacturing™, and their focus on adapting to trends and industry needs has kept their business at the forefront of construction technology for over 100 years.

Is your data center ready for its next phase of growth? Our team at MGM General Construction Corporation specializes in creating scalable, durable, and customizable metal building systems designed to meet your needs. Contact us today to learn more about our services!

A Quick Guide and Common Questions About Adaptive Reuse in Commercial Construction

Architect and sustainability expert, Carl Elefante, is known for saying, “The greenest building is the one that is already built.” Adaptive reuse construction is often a cost-effective, sustainable choice.

Business and property owners often wonder about how they can use a facility they already own for a better purpose. Or sometimes a client needs to outfit an existing facility for a new tenant. These clients need an adaptive reuse construction project.

Keep reading to learn more about just what that is and we’ll answer a couple of our most commonly asked questions.

Adaptive Reuse in Construction

Contractors design most commercial construction with a distinct purpose in mind. The building’s intended business constrains the overall design. However, circumstances lead many buildings to become abandoned or vacant.

As businesses relocate, grow, disappear, and merge, commercial properties often lie dormant—but they’re not ready for demolition. Instead, think of them as waiting like a puppy at the pound for just the right tenant.

With high-quality renovations, a building can get a new life and decades of use out of an existing building. Adaptive Reuse projects give our clients the chance to do just that.

From historic preservation to integrating into a new structure, renovations, or infrastructure upgrades, we’re here to help knock down a few walls and expand your knowledge of commercial adaptive reuse construction.

Cost-Savings and Sustainability

Repurposing a building gives you options for rebuilding that may not have existed at the time of original construction. A reuse project lets you include new, efficient components, like Butler®’s energy-efficient roofing systems or factory-insulated metal panels.

When your business moves into your new location, your environmentally-conscious choices become money savers: your efficient parts keep your energy bills and maintenance needs low.

What will you have to consider for your adaptive reuse commercial project? That’s a good question.

Common Questions about Adaptive Reuse

Our clients often ask, “Will adaptive reuse of the existing structure save money over new construction?” The cautious answer is, “Yes.” The final determining factors are just how much work the building needs and how much of it can be postponed.

Known as “deferred maintenance,” these will be a short list of issues that can be safely left out of the original project. Safety is still the top concern here, and we won’t cut corners or ignore any codes or requirements.

This is where a contractor’s experience comes into play. With over 80 years of combined experience, our team has a deep knowledge of what is important for a reuse project—what you need to get open for business and what can wait.

We’ll go into the topic in more detail in a future post.

Another common question concerns grandfathered code provisions. Clients often ask if a building that worked safely for years can be grandfathered in under the regulations it was previously compliant under. This is a less formal way to say “lawful prior non-conforming use,” or that the building was previously perfectly suitable and can still be considered so.

As long as the building intended for adaptive reuse is safe, it may not have to be relocated or demolished due to not adhering to the most recent requirements. At MGM General Construction Corporation, we typically work with the International Existing Building Code (IEBC) for these types of projects. The standard new construction code is the International Building Code (IBC).

It’s important to keep in mind that any new construction, additions, or renovations must meet new building codes and can’t piggyback along.

How to Get Started

At MGM General Construction Corporation, we are proud to be a Butler Builder®, providing energy-efficient construction projects to our clients. Our portfolio includes Parkside Commons, an old school repurposed as a building with residential living units and commercial office space.

If you are interested in starting an adaptive reuse project, contact us today!