When it comes to designing a data centre, choice of doors is a critical factor that impacts a facility’s safety, security, and overall functionality. Data Centre doors play a vital role in protecting valuable equipment and ensuring smooth operations. This page covers the key considerations needed for selecting the right doors for data centre projects.
Fire Safety: A Crucial Element of Data Centre Design
Fire safety is paramount in any data centre due to the high stakes involved with protecting valuable equipment and sensitive data. The doors you select must be capable of containing fire and preventing its spread, particularly from high-risk areas like battery rooms, electrical rooms and engineering areas.
- Fire Ratings: It’s essential to select doors with appropriate fire ratings, especially for areas where the risk of fire is significant. Data centres doors have a mix of fire rating requirements, from 30-minute resistance in low-risk corridors, all the way up to 120-minute resistance for high-risk areas.
- EN Certifications: Ensure that doors meet the required European Norm (EN) standards, particularly EN 1634-1 (fire resistance) and EN 16034 (harmonised standard for fire rated doors). Compliance with these standards guarantees that the doors have undergone rigorous testing and can effectively contain fire in the event of an emergency.
- Compatibility with Wall Types: When selecting doors, it is crucial to ensure they are certified for use with the specific wall systems in your data centre. For example, if your facility uses modular wall systems like Eurobond Firemaster panels, the doors should be specifically tested and approved for use in this application.
Security: Safeguarding the Data Centre
Security is a critical concern in data centres, which house sensitive information and high-value equipment. The doors you choose must contribute to the building’s overall security framework.
- Security Ratings: Data centre doors need to meet specific security ratings. Doors with a Resistance Class (RC) according to EN 1627 (burglar resistance), offer protection against forced entry. Required resistance classes range from RC2 to RC4 and will differ for each application within the data centre, depending on the areas level of risk / sensitivity.
- Access Control Integration: To bolster security, doors should be compatible with advanced access control systems, including biometric readers, card readers, and remote monitoring solutions. This ensures that only authorized personnel can access restricted areas within the data centre.
Airtightness: Controlling Airflow in Data Chambers
In addition to fire safety and security, airtightness is a key consideration for maintaining optimal airflow within data chambers. Proper airflow control is essential to keep equipment operating safely and efficiently. Data centre doors play a key role in achieving this.
- Maintaining Controlled Airflow: Data chambers are designed with specific airflow patterns to manage heat generated by servers and other equipment. Doors leading into and out of these chambers need to be airtight to prevent external air from disrupting these carefully controlled environments. Any leakage can cause inefficiencies in cooling, potentially leading to overheating and equipment failure.
- Air-Tight Doors: Selecting data centre doors with the correct airtightness performance is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the internal environment. Doors should be tested and certified in accordance with EN 12207 to prevent air leakage, ensuring that the internal climate remains stable and that cooling systems can operate as intended.
Types of Doors to Consider in Data Centres
Selecting the right types of doors is essential to meet the unique demands of a data centre. Understanding the different options available can help you make informed decisions that align with your facility’s needs.
- Hinge Doors: These are the most commonly used type of data centre doors. Hinge doors can be designed to offer fire ratings, robust security and air-tightness, making them suitable for main entrances, data hall entrances, internal fire partitions as well as general purpose applications.
- Fire Curtains: Fire curtains are an effective solution for providing fire separation in large, open spaces. They are commonly used in office areas or communal spaces within data centres where maintaining an open layout is important.
- Fire Shutters: For larger openings, such as those found in storage or server areas, fire shutters provide a robust barrier against fire. They are particularly useful in protecting large areas while allowing for operational flexibility.
- Loading Bays: Loading bays are critical for the logistics of a data centre, facilitating the safe and secure delivery and removal of equipment. While these doors often don’t need to be fire-rated, they should be durable and secure enough to handle high traffic and protect against unauthorized access.
Traffidor Pass
Traffidor Secure
Pyrodor Flex
Pyrodor Fireroll
Loading Bay Equipment
Final Thoughts
Data centre doors are more than just functional elements within the building—they are vital components of your overall safety, security and fire strategy. By understanding the importance of fire ratings, security classifications, air-tightness classes, and the various types of doors available, you can ensure your data centre projects are well-protected, and compliant with the applicable standards.
