Introducing

The Electro-Mechanical Distribution Floor System that Changes Everything

Ventilation effectiveness at 137 feet!
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This unique, simple design separates cabling from airflow

We split the underfloor into two horizontal plenums, the top for wires and the bottom for air, making an efficient electro-mechanical distribution system.

Easy Wire Management

  • No more cable congestion—ever
  • Put all the wiring under the floor where it belongs—faster, cost effective installation
  • Change, add, or relocate cabling without interrupting air flow
air flow

Dependable Air Distribution

  • Regardless of room size, configuration, or equipment change
  • No more hot or cold spots
  • No need for costly containment

The only distribution system that helps you increase profits

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.

Reliable air distribution protects your equipment and saves energy

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.

01
Not all floors are alike
Don’t judge a book by its cover...
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A new era of Data Center air and wire distribution has finally arrived...
02
Simplicity
We split the entire underfloor space into two horizontal plenums, the top for wires, the bottom for air…
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…making an efficient electro-mechanical distribution system
03
Unequaled air distribution
Easy-to-install dampered chimneys channel supply air through the wireway and into the room…
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…assuring precision air distribution to the top of each cabinet throughout the room.
04
Weight distribution second to none
The unique “pyramid” design creates a room size truss…
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…improving load distribution by 33%
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The time is now...
A Multi-Level Electro-Mechanical Distribution System…
…Solving the Performance Problems Associated With Data Center Wiring and Air Distribution
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A Logical, Simple, Profitable Solution

TIER E/A is designed to deliver maximum value and reliability – regardless of moves, adds, and changes.

“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.

Want to know more about a TIER E/A Customer Satisfaction study?

  • See the results
    Table 6.1 FAA Customer Satisfaction Multi-Level Raised Floor Survey Summary

    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
    1. Flexibility of routing cables
    2. Flexibility & reduced costs, cooling more efficient, cables can be moved without affecting air
    3. No hot spots, no cable trough problems, no screws
    4. Installed 2 times, feel free to call, Keith Osman, VP, Info Proc. Heller International
    5. Installed 8 years & no problems
    6. Six (6) years experience with this floor

Electro-Mechanical Distribution System

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.

Practical Wire & Cable Management

Without disrupting airflow or the structural integrity of the floor

  • Unlimited Removal of Floor Panels for Easy Access
  • No Top Stringer To Impeded Wiring Installation
  • No Need For Plenum Rated Cables
  • Wires Are Isolated from the Airflow
  • Wiring is Done in Ambient Room Temperature
  • Fast Installation and Setup
  • Modular Inner Floor Wireway Systems avaivable
  • Wires and Cables Can Be Easily Separated
  • Eliminates Overhead Cabling
  • MAC Work is No Longer a problem

Unobstructed Airflow

  • True Pressurized and Unobstructed Airflow
  • Ventilation Efficiency, Regardless of IT Equipment Configuration
  • Ventilation Effectiveness, Regardless of Room Size
  • Precision Air Delivery to the Top of the Cabinets
  • True N+1 Redundancy
  • Use Fewer, Larger, More Cost Effective Cooling Units
  • HVAC Equipment Can be Outside the IT Space
  • No Pressure Drop when Floor Panels are Removed
  • No Leaks Through Cable Cutouts or Panel Joints
  • No Minimum Distance from Cooling Equipment to Air Flow Panels
  • No Need for Costly, Burdensome Containment Methods
  • No Need to Reconfigure Sprinklers, Lights, or Smoke Detectors when Reconfiguring Space
  • VAV Control (Optional)

Additional System Features

  • Standard Product Meets Seismic Requirements Throughout North America
  • Saves Space
  • The Strongest Floor System in the Industry
  • 1,500 and 3,000 # Panels Available
  • Lower Raised Floor Heights and therefore Lower Ceiling Heights Possible
  • Reduces Slab Loading by 34%
  • Bond Only One Pedestal per 1,000 SF
  • System is Zero Signal Reference Grid

The Indisputable Economics of TIER E/A

  • Lower Capital Costs
  • Lower Operating Costs
  • Lower Maintenance Costs
  • Frees Up More Usable White Space
  • Carbon Credits Where/When Available
  • Lower PUE
  • Made of Recyclable Materials

With so many cost offsets, you get the
TIER E/A Distribution System virtually free...

Mechanical
  • A/C Equipment

    Use larger, more cost effective, energy efficient cooling equipment and remove it from the white space

  • Diesel Generator

    Larger A/C generally has a lower overall kW Demand and therefore smaller generators

  • Energy

    Precisely delivering only the amount of cooling necessary from right sized equipment saves energy and lots of it

  • Utility Credits

    Local utilities often provide rebates for lowering kW Demand

  • Service and Maintenance

    Fewer, larger cooling units require less service and maintenance

  • Containment Methods

    Not necessary, because TIER E/A™ provides ventilation effectiveness and will push cold air all the way up the face of the cabinet

  • Gasketed Cutouts

    Aren’t required because the air is separated from the cables in its own dedicated plenum and can’t leak through the floor panels

  • Security

    Install the A/C equipment in a separate mechanical equipment room and the service technicians don’t need to enter the white space

  • Effective N+1 Redundancy

    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

Electrical
  • Plenum Rated Wire

    Isn’t required because the wires are not in an air plenum

  • Grounding

    Only ground 1 pedestal per 1,000 sf

  • Cable Tray

    Less cable tray because the steel pans between the air and wires can be used as a Cable Tray

  • Simpler Moves, Adds, and Changes

    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

  • Fire Detection

    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

  • EPO

    No wires in the air plenum so no there’s no need for an EPO

Architectural
  • Building Space

    Less white space required, which allows you to build a smaller building

  • White Space

    Position more high density equipment in a room and remove the air conditioning equipment from the room, saving significant amounts of white space

  • Less Raised Floor Required

    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 Slab Heights

    Lower floor height and less vertical cable tray spacing allows for a lower building height

  • Stronger Floor

    TIER E/A is the strongest system in the industry

  • Flexible/Adaptable

    The flexibility the TIER E/A™ System allows ongoing savings throughout the life of the room

And you’ll continue to save money everyday over the life of your facility!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Is the system strong enough to support my current equipment and any future equipment I may upgrade to?

    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.

  • Will TIER E/A™ adapt to any future equipment and/or increased heat loads that I may encounter?

    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…

  • Can I reduce air conditioning energy consumption with TIER E/A™?

    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.

  • Do I still need to have CRAC units surrounding the perimeter and sometimes in the middle of the room?

    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.

  • What’s it like to install cables and wires in TIER E/A™ verses conventional floors or overhead?

    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.

  • Do I need more floor space or ceiling height?

    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.

  • Why should I use the TIER E/A™ 2-level electro-mechanical distribution system?

    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…

We think differently.

We create real solutions.

We change the way you think about data centers.

why us

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...

We understand that Data Center design is more important than ever.

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.

TIER E/A can deliver consistent, maximum performance, flexibility, and ROI—for the life of the building.

Get in Touch!

Call us +1 888-763-8421

Or download our free report

Or download our free report

Free Report

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.