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newSchoolWorks.com › VoTechWorks › Technology & Design › Data Center Facilities & Operations Management › Capstone Project: Data Center Facilities & Operations Integration › Lesson 1
TEC-DATA83-09 · Lesson 1 · 54 clock hours · practice

Project Scoping, Site Brief, and Design Foundations

Objective. Given a fictional client brief, the student will define project scope, select and justify a target Uptime Institute Tier level, produce a scaled single-line power diagram and cooling topology sketch, and submit a written design-basis document for instructor review.

⚠ Pending professional review

This lesson, its worked examples and its practice questions has not yet been verified by an industry-certified professional or by a certification or approval body. It is a study draft and may contain errors. Do not use it as instructions for work on a job site or on live equipment. Always follow your instructor, your supervising professional, and current official references and regulations.

VoTechWorks program approval and accreditation are still in progress. Credentials are issued only by the certifying bodies named in each program, after their own exams.

What This Lesson Is About

Before any steel is ordered or cable is pulled, a data center project lives or dies on the quality of its early planning documents. This lesson walks you through three foundational tasks: scoping the project, selecting and defending a Tier level, and producing the first design drawings and a design-basis document. These are the deliverables that real engineers, architects, and owners exchange at the front end of every serious data center project.

Reading the Client Brief

A client brief describes what the owner needs, but it rarely tells you everything. Your first job is to read it twice — once to capture the stated requirements (power load in kilowatts, head count, required uptime, budget range, schedule) and a second time to surface the implied requirements. An enterprise that says "we cannot tolerate more than four hours of downtime per year" is implying a level of redundancy whether they say the word or not. A company that mentions "24/7 trading operations" is implying that planned maintenance cannot require a full shutdown.

Organize what you find into a formal scope-of-work statement. A good scope statement has four parts:

1. Project description — what is being built and for whom.

2. Design constraints — budget ceiling, physical footprint, utility feeds available, timeline.

3. Key assumptions — things you are treating as true that the brief did not confirm (for example, that the local utility can supply a second independent feed).

4. Tier target with rationale — the Uptime Institute Tier level you are designing to, and why.

Never begin drawing until your instructor has reviewed and approved the scope statement. Errors caught on paper cost nothing; errors caught in construction are expensive.

Selecting a Tier Level

The Uptime Institute Tier Standard defines four levels of data center infrastructure reliability. Tier I provides basic capacity with a single path for power and cooling and no redundancy. Tier II adds redundant capacity components. Tier III requires multiple independent distribution paths and concurrently maintainable infrastructure — meaning any planned maintenance can be performed without shutting down IT equipment. Tier IV adds fault tolerance so that any single failure does not cause downtime.

For this capstone, you will read the Tier Standard: Topology reference document and match your client's availability requirements to the correct Tier. Write down the specific topology requirements for that Tier — number of distribution paths, redundancy ratios for UPS and cooling, generator requirements — because you will need to cite them in your design-basis document. Do not guess; pull the language from the standard.

Drawing the Single-Line Power Diagram and Cooling Topology

A single-line diagram (also called a one-line diagram) represents electrical distribution using a single line for each circuit, regardless of the number of conductors. It shows the flow of power from the utility service entrance through the automatic transfer switch (ATS), generator, UPS system, static transfer switch (if used), power distribution units (PDUs), and finally to the rack power strips. Label every device with its rated capacity.

A cooling topology sketch shows how chilled water, refrigerant, or air moves through the facility. At minimum, show the computer room air handler (CRAH) or computer room air conditioner (CRAC) units, the hot-aisle/cold-aisle containment arrangement, and the path for heat rejection (cooling tower or dry cooler if applicable).

Draw both on graph paper or in draw.io using a consistent scale. Write the scale in the title block (for example, 1 square = 2 feet). Annotate every component with its equipment tag and rated capacity. A drawing that cannot be read by someone who was not in the room when you drew it is not a professional drawing.

Writing the Design-Basis Document

The design-basis document (DBD) is a written record of every major decision made during preliminary design. Think of it as the reasoning behind the drawings. At minimum, your DBD must include:

Safety Notes

This lesson is a design exercise, but the habits you build here carry into live environments. Every diagram you draw represents real equipment operating at voltages and currents that are lethal. When you eventually work in a live data center:

Good design documentation is itself a safety tool. Clear single-line diagrams help maintenance technicians identify isolation points quickly in an emergency.

Key terms10

Scope of WorkA formal document that defines the boundaries of a project, including what will and will not be designed or built, key assumptions, constraints, and deliverables.
Uptime Institute Tier StandardA widely recognized classification system that defines four levels (Tier I through Tier IV) of data center infrastructure reliability based on redundancy, concurrent maintainability, and fault tolerance.
Single-Line DiagramAn electrical drawing that represents the power distribution system using one line per circuit path, showing all major components from the utility entrance to the load.
Concurrent MaintainabilityA Tier III and Tier IV design requirement meaning that any planned maintenance on power or cooling infrastructure can be performed without interrupting IT equipment operation.
Design-Basis Document (DBD)A written record of the engineering decisions, equipment selections, standards cited, and assumptions that underpin a facility design.
Hot-Aisle/Cold-Aisle ContainmentA rack arrangement and physical containment strategy that separates hot exhaust air from cold supply air to improve cooling efficiency and prevent recirculation.
NFPA 75The National Fire Protection Association standard that addresses fire protection requirements specifically for information technology equipment rooms and data centers.
ASHRAE Thermal GuidelinesGuidelines published by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers that define recommended and allowable temperature and humidity ranges at IT equipment inlets.
Power Distribution Unit (PDU)A device that receives power from a UPS or busway and distributes it to multiple rack-level power strips; typically metered and sometimes switched at the outlet level.
Redundancy RatioThe relationship between the number of components required to carry the full load (N) and the number of additional standby components provided, expressed as N+1, 2N, and so on.

Worked examples4

1. The client brief states that the data center must support 120 kW of IT load at full build-out. The design team wants a UPS configuration that meets Tier III concurrent maintainability. They plan to use a 2N UPS arrangement. What is the minimum rated UPS capacity needed per UPS system if two equal UPS units each carry the full load independently?
  1. Step 1 — Identify the IT load: 120 kW.
  2. Step 2 — In a 2N UPS arrangement, each of the two independent UPS systems must be capable of carrying 100% of the IT load on its own, so that either unit can be taken offline for maintenance while the other carries all load without any IT disruption.
  3. Step 3 — Apply a standard design margin. Data center designers commonly size UPS systems so the IT load represents no more than 80% of the UPS rated output (to avoid operating at the thermal and reliability limit). Required UPS rated output = IT load ÷ 0.80 = 120 kW ÷ 0.80 = 150 kW per UPS unit.
  4. Step 4 — Select the next available standard UPS size at or above 150 kW. A common commercial size is 160 kW or 200 kW; either is acceptable as long as the reasoning is documented in the DBD.
Answer: Each of the two UPS units must be rated at a minimum of 150 kW (before selecting a standard product size at or above that value). With two such units, the arrangement is 2N and each unit can independently carry the full 120 kW IT load.
2. You are drawing a scaled floor plan on graph paper where each small square represents 2 feet. The white space (the raised-floor area where racks sit) must be 40 feet wide by 60 feet long. How many squares wide and how many squares long does the white space rectangle need to be on your drawing?
  1. Step 1 — Identify the scale: 1 square = 2 feet.
  2. Step 2 — Convert width: 40 feet ÷ 2 feet per square = 20 squares wide.
  3. Step 3 — Convert length: 60 feet ÷ 2 feet per square = 30 squares long.
  4. Step 4 — Draw a rectangle 20 squares × 30 squares on the graph paper and label it 'White Space — 40 ft × 60 ft' in the annotation.
Answer: The white space rectangle is 20 squares wide and 30 squares long on the drawing.
3. The client brief specifies an IT load of 80 kW. The CRAH units selected are rated at 30 kW of sensible cooling capacity each. How many CRAH units are required at minimum to meet the load, and how many are required in an N+1 redundancy configuration?
  1. Step 1 — Calculate the minimum number of CRAH units needed to handle the 80 kW load: 80 kW ÷ 30 kW per unit = 2.67 units. Since you cannot install a fraction of a unit, round up to 3 units (this is N = 3).
  2. Step 2 — An N+1 configuration means one additional unit is added as a standby: 3 + 1 = 4 CRAH units total.
  3. Step 3 — Verify: With 4 units installed and one taken offline for maintenance, the remaining 3 units provide 3 × 30 kW = 90 kW of cooling capacity, which exceeds the 80 kW IT load. The design is valid.
Answer: A minimum of 3 CRAH units (N = 3) are needed to meet the 80 kW load. An N+1 configuration requires 4 CRAH units total.
4. A student lists the following in a DBD: 'UPS rated at 200 kVA, power factor 0.9.' The IT equipment load summary shows 160 kW of real power demand. Does the UPS have sufficient capacity? Show the calculation.
  1. Step 1 — Convert UPS capacity from kVA to kW using the stated power factor: kW = kVA × power factor = 200 kVA × 0.9 = 180 kW.
  2. Step 2 — Compare to the IT load: 180 kW available vs. 160 kW required.
  3. Step 3 — Check the design margin: 160 kW ÷ 180 kW = 0.889, meaning the UPS would operate at about 89% of its real-power capacity. Many designers prefer to stay at or below 80% loading for reliability reasons. At 89%, the UPS is technically adequate but has limited headroom for load growth.
  4. Step 4 — Recommendation for the DBD: note that the 200 kVA / 0.9 pf UPS covers the current load but document the loading percentage and consider whether future load growth requires a larger unit or a note limiting IT load additions.
Answer: The 200 kVA UPS at 0.9 power factor provides 180 kW of real power, which exceeds the 160 kW IT load. However, the UPS operates at approximately 89% of rated real-power capacity, which is above the typical 80% design target, leaving limited growth headroom.

The math in this lesson1

Learners size 2N UPS capacity from IT load plus a design margin.
7.RP.3
Brush up in the math halls at newSchoolWorks.com:
In class: Analyze the provided client brief — a mid-size enterprise requiring a new on-premises data center — identify all stated and implied technical requirements, and draft a formal scope-of-work statement that includes design constraints, Tier target rationale, and key assumptions; instructor reviews the scope statement before design work begins. · Using graph paper or CAD-lite software (such as draw.io or equivalent free tool), draw a scaled floor plan showing white-space layout, power distribution path from utility entrance through UPS and PDUs to racks, and cooling airflow paths including hot-aisle/cold-aisle containment; annotate the drawing with equipment labels and critical dimensions. · Write a design-basis document (minimum four pages) that states the chosen Tier level with specific reference to the Uptime Institute Tier Standard requirements for redundancy and concurrently maintainable paths, lists the primary power and cooling equipment selected with rated capacities, and identifies any code or standard — such as NFPA 70, NFPA 75, or ASHRAE thermal guidelines — that governs the design choices made.
Materials: Client brief handout provided by instructor; graph paper and ruler or a laptop with draw.io installed; Uptime Institute Tier Standard: Topology reference document; ASHRAE Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Environments (current edition); NFPA 70 and NFPA 75 code summary sheets from the Compliance course; scientific calculator.
Check: Instructor scores the scope statement and design-basis document against a rubric with five categories — scope completeness, Tier justification accuracy, drawing legibility and annotation, equipment sizing logic, and code reference correctness — each worth 20 points; student must earn at least 70 out of 100 to proceed to Lesson 2.

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.

Uptime Institute ATS — Tier Standard Topology
1. A client states that all planned maintenance on power and cooling systems must be possible without interrupting IT equipment operations. Which Uptime Institute Tier level is the minimum that satisfies this requirement?
CDCP (EPI) — Standards and Compliance
2. Which of the following documents governs electrical wiring installation inside a data center in the United States?
CNet CDCMP — Power Infrastructure
3. A design-basis document lists a UPS rated at 250 kVA with a power factor of 0.8. What is the real power output in kilowatts?
CNet CDCMP — Electrical Documentation
4. In a single-line electrical diagram, what does the single line between two pieces of equipment represent?
CDCP (EPI) — Cooling Infrastructure
5. An IT room has a 90 kW heat load. CRAC units rated at 25 kW sensible cooling each are available. How many units are needed for an N+1 redundancy configuration?
CDCP (EPI) — Cooling and Environmental Standards
6. Which ASHRAE publication is the primary reference for recommended inlet air temperature and humidity ranges for IT equipment in a data center?
Uptime Institute ATS — Project Scoping
7. A student's scope statement for a new data center lists square footage and IT load but does not mention the Tier target or any design assumptions. What critical component is missing?
CNet CDCMP — Safety and Operations
8. When working near energized electrical distribution equipment in a live data center, which safety practice is most important before performing any maintenance activity on a circuit?
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