Structural engineering for Canada’s data centres
Structural design for equipment supports, anchorage, foundations and building modifications, helping project teams coordinate critical infrastructure from design through installation.
For owners, developers, contractors, equipment suppliers, steel fabricators and lead consultants who need a clearly defined structural package, coordinated with the team and detailed for installation.
Structural capabilities for data centre projects
Engage UTES for one specialty package or several. Each is scoped with clear inputs, responsibilities and deliverables, and coordinated with the building’s structural engineer of record where one is involved.
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Equipment supports and dunnage
- Rooftop equipment support frames
- Generator and chiller supports
- Mechanical and electrical equipment framing
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Equipment anchorage and connections
- Equipment anchorage and base plates
- Steel connections and load transfer
- Seismic restraint design within the agreed scope
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Foundations and equipment pads
- Equipment foundations, concrete pads and pedestals
- Generator and chiller bases
- Coordination with geotechnical recommendations
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Platforms and service supports
- Equipment and access platforms
- Pipe racks
- Cable tray and busway supports
- Miscellaneous structural steel
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Existing-building assessments and modifications
- Review of additional equipment loads
- Roof and floor capacity assessments
- Structural openings and local strengthening
- Equipment replacements and upgrades
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Fabrication and installation support
- Specialty structural drawings and calculations
- Shop drawing review within the agreed scope
- RFI responses and coordination
- Site reviews where included in the engagement
Why project teams work with UTES
Data centre structural work sits between the equipment, the building and the installer. We design for all three.
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Clearly defined structural scope
Before work starts, we set out what UTES is responsible for, what we rely on from others and what we will deliver.
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Coordinated with the project team
Loads, clearances and interfaces are coordinated with the mechanical and electrical teams and with the building’s structural engineer.
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Designed around existing conditions
Existing framing, access routes, installation sequence and site constraints shape the design, not just the equipment weight.
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Practical drawings and connection details
Drawings and connections are prepared with the fabricator and installer in mind, so the design can be built as drawn.
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Direct engineering communication
Technical questions go to the engineer working on your package, not through layers of account management.
How an engagement works
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Share the scope
Send the project location, available drawings, equipment data and your target schedule.
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Confirm the approach
We agree on inputs, responsibilities, deliverables and timing before design begins.
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Develop the package
We prepare coordinated structural calculations and drawings, professionally sealed where applicable and included in scope.
Common questions
Can UTES support an existing data centre?
Yes. We can review available drawings and existing conditions for equipment additions and replacements, roof and floor capacity checks, new openings and local strengthening. The scope is planned around site access and the facility’s operating constraints.
Can we engage UTES for a single equipment or support package?
Yes. A single equipment support, anchorage design, pad or platform can be engaged on its own. The proposal defines how that package interfaces with the building’s structural engineer of record and the rest of the design team.
What information is needed for a proposal?
The more of the following you can share, the more precise the proposal:
- Project location
- Existing or proposed building drawings, where available
- Equipment data: weights, dimensions and support or anchorage points
- Geotechnical report, for foundations and pads
- Target schedule and required deliverables
Can UTES accommodate a time-sensitive scope?
Tell us your target date when you first get in touch. Once we’ve reviewed the scope and inputs, we’ll confirm whether the schedule is achievable, and say so plainly if it isn’t.
Where in Canada can UTES support projects?
For each project, we confirm the location, the professional licensing and firm authorization required in that province or territory, and how site reviews will be arranged, before we are engaged.
Discuss your data centre project
Share the project location, equipment scope and target schedule, and we’ll talk through how UTES can support it.