A new 65,000 square foot, three-story data center was designed to meet the International Building Code requirements as an essential facility including EF3 and Seismic Design Category D. Additional seismic requirements included utilizing fluid viscous dampers as a non-classically damped structure system. The foundations were designed as a shallow foundation system that is not only used to support the structure vertically and laterally, but also used to mitigate liquefaction.

The most challenging aspect of this project was the damped structure system and the innovative technique that was required in the design. CSA designed the building to withstand the wind speed of a EF3 tornado, up to 165mph. CSA also worked in conjunction with Dr. Pezesur at the University of Memphis on a site-specific analysis with time history simulation generation. Seven (7) time histories were used in two plan direction to capture seismic response of the structure. The design utilized seismic response history procedures in accordance with ASCE 7-10 Chapter 16 with direct analysis of the nonlinear viscous fluid dampers in accordance with ASCE 7-10 Chapter 18. The structural analysis was nonlinear to account for plastic response of framing members under simulated time history loading as well as to capture nonlinear effects of the dampers since nonlinear dampers, in order to be more efficient, do not have a force output that is directly proportional to the relative velocity at the end of the dampers like linear dampers would. Utilizing nonlinear fluid viscous dampers can be seen as an advantage to the overall design due to the ease of installation and its cost-effective standpoint while keeping its seismic intelligence. According to our research, most damper applications are performed on the west coast or internationally due to the seismic requirements in those areas. The new data center is the only building within a 300-mile radius with this locally designed application. The closest applications are found on bridges in Nashville, TN, Knoxville, TN and Greenville, MS.