We split the underfloor into two horizontal plenums, the top for wires and the bottom for air, making an efficient electro-mechanical distribution system.
When your money and reputation are tied to your new data center project, you want to be sure it’s reliable, effective, adaptable, user-friendly, and efficient.TIER E/A™ is all that and goes a step further.
In addition to being able to adapt to your ever-changing needs TIER E/A™ significantly reduces construction costs and generates substantial annual operating savings—for the life of the facility.
The TIER E/A floor system solves the problems long associated with underfloor air distribution and cable management by featuring separate plenums for precision air delivery and practical wire management.
This unique electro-mechanical distribution product is a multi-level, fully integrated system that isolates wires in its upper tier from supply air in its unobstructed and virtually leak-free lower plenum.
“Despite the fact that we use a tremendous volume of cables we have not experienced any serious cable congestion. We remove unused cables, and the large wireway level gives us the space we need.” Brian, Trans Union
“We installed all the power cabling for 232 cabinets in one day, that alone makes your system worthwhile.” Daniel, COLO-D
“Since the Interstitial multi-level floor system meets all FAA requirements, and since the life-cycle cost is more economical than a single layer raised floor, it is recommended that the multi-level system be installed in future FAA air traffic facilities.” FAA Report, Washington D.C.
Rate the multi-level floor (versus a single layer floor) on a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best) in first four categories:
| User # | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness of Equipment Cooling | 8 | 5 | 8 | 8 | N/A | 5 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 5 |
| Power Saving | 8 | 5 | 8 | N/A | N/A | 5 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Flexibility of Cable Management | 10 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 |
| Flexibility of Equipment Movement | 10 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 |
| Do you like it? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| What are the Benefits | 1 | 1 | N/A | 1 | N/A | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | N/A |
| Do you have any complaints? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Did you have any problems with the floor? | No | N/A | No | No | No | N/A | No | No | N/A | No | No | No |
| Would you install it again? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Other Comments | N/A | 4 | N/A | 5 | 6 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
In today’s critical environment, efficient data center design demands the most efficient, effective distribution of conditioned air and cable management possible.
TIER E/A is a unique, multi-level electro-mechanical distribution product that isolates wires in its upper tier from supply air in its unobstructed and virtually leak-free lower plenum.
Without disrupting airflow or the structural integrity of the floor
Use larger, more cost effective, energy efficient cooling equipment and remove it from the white space
Larger A/C generally has a lower overall kW Demand and therefore smaller generators
Precisely delivering only the amount of cooling necessary from right sized equipment saves energy and lots of it
Local utilities often provide rebates for lowering kW Demand
Fewer, larger cooling units require less service and maintenance
Not necessary, because TIER E/A™ provides ventilation effectiveness and will push cold air all the way up the face of the cabinet
Aren’t required because the air is separated from the cables in its own dedicated plenum and can’t leak through the floor panels
Install the A/C equipment in a separate mechanical equipment room and the service technicians don’t need to enter the white space
When the A/C equipment is clustered together and there’s dedicated pressurized air distribution only one unit is required to provide N+1 redundancy
Isn’t required because the wires are not in an air plenum
Only ground 1 pedestal per 1,000 sf
Less cable tray because the steel pans between the air and wires can be used as a Cable Tray
Easy access through an unlimited number of floor panels for an unlimited amount of time without losing air pressure makes for simpler and faster MAC
Isn’t required in the sterile air plenum and the wireway is a dead air space so fewer detectors can be used over a wider area
No wires in the air plenum so no there’s no need for an EPO
Less white space required, which allows you to build a smaller building
Position more high density equipment in a room and remove the air conditioning equipment from the room, saving significant amounts of white space
Since less white space is needed the area of the TIER E/A System is reduced compared to what would be required for a conventional raised floor
Lower floor height and less vertical cable tray spacing allows for a lower building height
TIER E/A is the strongest system in the industry
The flexibility the TIER E/A™ System allows ongoing savings throughout the life of the room
The structural characteristics of the TIER E/A™ floor are unsurpassed. The product’s design, including the unique pyramid configuration created by cooperating floor panel support struts to create a truss system, makes the TIER E/A™ understructure the strongest you will find anywhere. The floor panel is likewise remarkably strong, and its strength does not depend on any type of stringers, which would get in the way of easy access to the wires and cables housed in the System’s upper level.
It will.
TIER E/A™ was designed to provide maximum flexibility by simply relocating airflow grates to any module where air is required. And, it does so without the use of costly and cumbersome containment devices. So long as you have the cooling equipment available to meet the heat loads of the equipment.
The video demonstrates the ventilation effectiveness of TIER E/A™, which can be accomplished anywhere in the room.
TIER E/A™ provides precision air distribution where you need it when you need it…
TIER E/A™ allows you to save energy and lots of it…
For over 40 years air delivery in computer rooms has relied on “precision” down-flow air handling units (AHUs) used in conjunction with cable-clogged, leaky, conventional raised floors. The fact that this doesn’t work is demonstrated by the universal plague of hot spots, cold spots, air handler short cycling, negative air flow (where cooled air actually flows back down under the floor through perforated panels) and the need for containment methods . These problems exist even though the typical data center design provides at least 25% more air conditioning than is actually required to meet the room’s heat load.
The TIER E/A™ system solves all of these problems, even in the demanding environment of critical (Tier I—IV) data centers. It does so by allowing the use of larger, more energy efficient cooling equipment sized to match the actual heat load. The A/C equipment can be located in a separate mechanical room, if desired, and still provided uniform, reliably pressurized air delivery to the entire data center space.
Not only don’t you need CRAC units around the perimeter of the room, or installed through the middle of the room, you don’t need CRAC units in the room–period. For example in this picture you see there are no CRAC units installed in the room, they are behind the single wall far, far away from the opposite wall (140 feet). In fact we’ve shown that with TIER E/A it is possible to move air 160 feet from the unit discharging it, meaning you could build a 25,000 sf room with all the air coming from only one side of the room. This benefits security since all service and maintenance of the cooling equipment is performed outside the white space.
Cables and wires are housed in the upper tier, where they are completely isolated from the air stream. They are always up off the floor and easy-to-reach. Working on them always takes place in the ambient room environment. Because the wires are separated from the air stream there’s no need for costly plenum rated cables, which saves a lot of money.
The system is stringerless regardless of finished floor height and, without compromising structural integrity, an unlimited number of panels can be removed for fast, safe wire installation;
Wires and cables are separated from each other in a variety of easy-to-install and easy-to-relocate modular cable trays. Overall it’s far safer and more flexible than using overhead cable tray.
There’s never a need to work off dangerous ladders, which is how 50% of all slips and falls occur.
The space planning analysis provided here was done based on hypothetical data center floor plans designed with 100 cabinets at a variety of different kW loads ranging from 5 to 30 kW in increments of 5 kW. The space planning was for 24” wide x 48” deep cabinets laid out in a hot aisle/cold aisle configuration. With TIER E/A™, cold aisles can remain narrower even as cabinet loads increase and AHUs can be housed in a separate mechanical equipment room. In the conventional design, Air Handlers cannot be housed in a separate mechanical equipment room because of the limitations that are inherent in distributing air under a single level floor. Air distribution engineering often permits lower ceiling heights with TIER E/A™,. and TIA-942 requires only a 6” spacing of cable trays when installed under the floor v. 12” when overhead.
Simple geometry was used in all instances to ensure a fair and equal evaluation. The Table shows impressive space savings for the designs using the TIER E/A™ system. These space savings are attributable to the system’s greatly enhanced air delivery efficiency, which is due to the greater static pressures made possible by the system’s unique construction.
Good room design is about layering services, however, without a raised floor overhead distribution of wires, cables and containment devices are required for the distribution of services. This means that the layering of services is disrupted by vertical zones that obstruct the effective distribution of services e.g., lighting, smoke detection, fire suppression, and security devices. Making reconfiguration a nightmare, moving the complex labyrinth of cable trays, and containment is a major overhaul, to the room, just to accommodate higher density equipment, or larger cabinets.
TIER E/A™ is a fully integrated, layer design approach, so all changes can be made without costly disruptions.
TIER E/A™ saves you a serious amount of trouble when it comes to making changes…
Much of the way we approach our customer partnerships is articulated by our Vision Statement:
"When we set out to create TIER E/A, we weren’t interested in simply becoming another “me-too” raised floor product. We wanted to create a solution — a solution that would address all the issues associated with conventional floor design and the challenges posed by air and wire destribution."
TIER E/A changes the way customers are able to go about their business. It makes our customers' facilities reliable, more efficient, more profitable — and a lot less stressful.
Should you choose to accept us--we will use our product, expertise, passion, and common sense to bring you value—we always do our best because it’s the right thing to do.
Mike Kendall, President-Interstitial System,Inc.
We’ll open your world to a whole new experience regarding data center design, construction, efficiency, operation, and adaptability.
At Interstitial Systems, we think long-term. Which is why TIER E/A will serve you for the life of your building. It ends with our execution.
Let us show you...
Interstitial Systems is an industry innovator that designs and installs a data center raised floor solution that provides optimal cost savings and management solutions for the life of a facility.
Established in March 2008, our business is dedicated solely to marketing and selling the TIER E/A multi-level, electro-mechanical distribution system as well as providing TIER E/A data center design consulting services to our customers and potential customers. Company principal, William Collier, has been in the data center industry for over 40 years.
In today's critical environments, data center design is more important than ever, and no one-design solution fits all customers’ needs.
One of the keys to Interstitial System's ability to provide answers and results that offer lasting cost and operational efficiency is its practice of collaborating with owners, architects and engineers BEFORE any decisions are made, so the unique TIER E/A design can be fully optimized.
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Planning on Building a New Data Center? Download this simple to use "Data Center Design Guide" for a side-by-side comparison of the important facts you should know about distributing services before beginning the design.
