Surface protection for Australian data centre construction

Data hall floors

Raised access floor tiles and coated slabs take the brunt of mechanical and electrical fit-out, containment installation and rack delivery. Tile edges chip, coatings scuff and pedestal grid alignment suffers under repeated loading.

What site usually requires: Full-coverage board or sheet across the hall, taped at joints, able to stay down for months and lift cleanly before information and communications technology equipment is installed.

Typical spec: heavy-duty corrugated protection board laid wall to wall over the access floor, joints taped, edges dressed into wall protection.

[CONFIRM: flame-retardant rating of each floor product - data centre fire engineering often requires flame-retardant temporary materials. Do not state an Australian Standard 1530.3 or equivalent rating unless confirmed against product documentation.]

Raised-floor electrostatic discharge considerations

Static-sensitive equipment is staged and installed on the same floor that has been covered for months. The site's electrostatic discharge plan governs what may remain in the hall when racks are installed.

What site usually requires: Agreement with the site's electrostatic discharge lead on what protection stays down, and when it is removed relative to first energisation.

Typical spec: protection removed and the floor cleaned down before rack install, unless a static-dissipative product is confirmed for the zone.

[CONFIRM: whether any Honcho floor protection is static-dissipative. If not, state plainly that products are not rated for electrostatic discharge and recommend consulting the site's electrostatic discharge plan before rack install.]

Plant rooms, switchrooms and battery rooms

Resin floors and finished concrete slabs are exposed to cable drums being dragged, tools dropped from ladders and elevated work platforms, and hot works during electrical fit-out.

What site usually requires: Impact-rated board where drums and plant are moved, plus a heat-tolerant layer wherever cutting or welding occurs.

Typical spec: heavy-duty board over the traffic routes and set-down zones, with dedicated hot-works protection at each welding location.

[CONFIRM: heat and weld-splatter suitability of the nominated products.]

Corridors, loading docks and lift cars

The haul route from dock to hall carries every pallet on the job. Corridor floors, door frames, corners and lift car walls and floors absorb repeated knocks.

What site usually requires: A continuous protected route: floor protection through corridors, corner and jamb protection at every turn, and full lift car lining.

Typical spec: walkway matting or board along the haul route, corner guards at pinch points, door protection at each opening, and lift car floor and wall protection maintained for the duration.

Walls, partitions and glazing

Hall partitions, pressure-rated and blast-rated doors, and security glazing at mantraps are installed early and live with trades around them for months.

What site usually requires: Adhesive films on glazing, corner guards on exposed returns, and jamb protection on every rated door leaf and frame.

Typical spec: protective film to glazing, corner guards to partition returns, and door and jamb protection retained until commissioning.

[CONFIRM: film residue behaviour on powder-coated and stainless finishes, and maximum recommended dwell time.]

Stairs and handrails

Multi-storey facilities run trades up and down the same cores for the whole program. Treads, nosings and handrail finishes wear and chip.

What site usually requires: Tread and nosing protection on all trade-access stairs, plus handrail and balustrade covers.

Typical spec: fitted tread and nosing protection to every trade stair, rail guards to finished handrails.

Dust and containment

Clean-build zoning fails where a barrier is missing. Dust migration into a hall that has moved to controlled cleanliness costs programme time to remediate.

What site usually requires: Temporary dust barriers, zip doors and floor-to-ceiling sheeting at every zone boundary.

Typical spec: sheeting and framing at zone boundaries, zip-door entries at controlled access points.

[CONFIRM: product availability in this category - dust barrier, zip door and sheeting lines are not currently listed.]

External and civil

Hardstand, kerbs and completed landscaping are exposed to heavy vehicle movements and crane set-downs right through the program.

What site usually requires: Trackway and hardstand protection on heavy vehicle routes, plus hoarding around completed works.

Typical spec: protection to kerb lines and completed landscaping, hoarding to finished external works.