The Ideal Shipping Container Server Room Design

Your organization needs a server room—but not just any server room—one that’s portable, customizable, and built off-site. Modified shipping container server rooms are well suited to meet your company's needs. But to create the best server room design, consider the following three vital design modifications.

Refresher: What is a server room?

As a refresher, a server room is a space that stores computing equipment, acting as a small data center. These rooms are needed by many companies for a variety of reasons. They can house computing equipment at a rocket test and launch site or provide additional server space adjacent to a traditional office. Although every server room is different; they all face three major challenges: keeping equipment cool, secure, and easily connected to power and external networks. If these challenges aren’t addressed with the initial server room design, the equipment could be put at risk.

Server room design for a shipping container:

1.     How to manage heat

mineral wool insulation on a shipping container

Server equipment generates a significant amount of heat so the server room design must promote a temperature-safe space. To create the optimal container server room, consider using high-performance, fire-retardant mineral wool insulation.

Although your company has the freedom to finish out the walls as desired, many businesses opt for fire-resistant plywood that will allow them to hang racks and utilize wall space. Additionally, spray foam insulation can be added beneath an epoxy or metal floor to prevent humidity rising from the ground while continuing to manage the heat radiating from the equipment.

You should also request the installation of high-performing climate control systems. While the tonnage of A/C will vary based on the individual project, container manufacturing teams can easily install multiple 4-ton wall-mounted air conditioners on the walls of a shipping container.

Aside from insulation and air conditioning, choosing to use a high-cube container will help promote air flow. A high cube is one foot taller than a standard container.

2.     How to keep equipment secure

shipping container cargo door lock box modification

Shipping containers are naturally great at keeping their internal contents safe from external factors, but several additions can improve protection. For example, consider requesting that your container manufacturer weld the cargo doors closed. Or, if you prefer to keep the doors operable, add a lock box for another layer of protection. If you plan to use a personnel door, consider installing a keypad entry and latch guard protector.

3.     Simplify electrical connections

shipping container server room utility port

A utility port pass-through is thin sheets of galvannealed metal that fits inside a cut and framed opening. Pass-throughs help create easy connection points to external networks from inside the container—a vital aspect of any server room design.

Unlike shipping container walls, an electrician can easily cut a pass-through to connect the internal servers to outside equipment. Modification teams create cut and framed openings of any size to ensure the server room is used in its ideal configuration.

Learn more about containers

To talk with one of our container experts about your server room design, give us a call at 877-704-0177 or email us at Sales@FalconStructures.com. We’ll talk through what other information you need to know about container sizes and additional modifications to ensure you get the right structure to meet your needs.

New Call-to-action

THINK INSIDE THE BOX®
WITH OUR BLOG

Get everything from shipping container basics, to detailed how-tos and industry news in our weekly blog. Stay inspired and subscribe!

RELATED BLOGS

Your Guide to Custom Storage Containers

Your Guide to Custom Storage Containers

READ MORE

So You Think You Want a Custom-Built Shipping Container Home?

So You Think You Want a Custom-Built Shipping Container Home?

READ MORE

Design Multi-Unit Shipping Container Buildings for Future Expansion

Design Multi-Unit Shipping Container Buildings for Future Expansion

READ MORE