3 ms·

I don't think you were referring to these, but there are actually a few windowless, fortified concrete skyscrapers in New York that were built as telephone swit

by pak 16y ago

I don't think you were referring to these, but there are actually a few windowless, fortified concrete skyscrapers in New York that were built as telephone switching centers. Here's one in Lower Manhattan that is 29 stories: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/33_Thomas_Street http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/33_Thomas_Street They were likewise designed to withstand nuclear fallout. Because telephone switching equipment has shrunken over the years they now rent out some of the floor space as a hosted ultrasecure datacenter.

nkassis 16y ago
That building looks like something right out of blade runner.
- Devilboy 16y ago
  The article calls it 'extreme brutalism' http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=33+Thomas+Street,+manhattan&sll=-33.886413,151.118261&sspn=0.022836,0.016201&g=33+Thomas+Street&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=33+Thomas+St,+New+York,+10007,+United+States&ll=40.716799,-74.00565&spn=0.000966,0.001523&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=40.716799,-74.00565&panoid=kxOcRk6jH3sMR-4XaNyn1w&cbp=12,208.86,,0,-36.67 http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&...
cosmicray 16y ago
> I don't think you were referring to these, but there are actually a few windowless, fortified concrete skyscrapers in New York that were built as telephone switching centers. Actually no. The ones I'm referring to were (usually) built way out in rural areas, where they were away from the expected blast area of a hit on a major city. The one I'm aware of is built mostly underground, then backfilled so that it looks like a natural hill (a hill with a concrete top, and a big microwave tower). Some of these facilities were rumored to have ground entry points for a system called Combat Ciders ... http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/c3i/combat_ciders.htm http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/c3i/combat_ciders.htm
Pfiffer 16y ago
> The floors are also unusually strong, designed to carry 200 to 300 pound per square foot (10 - 15 kPa) live loads. This is pretty much the coolest thing I've seen all day. I'm not sure what kind of standards buildings are held up to in terms of load-per-foot-squared, but that seems like an awful lot to me. That building is incredible.
- rdl 16y ago
  Most purpose built datacenters are >100 lb/sf. You only really need in excess of that for rooms full of batteries. Even generators, while individually heavy, usually have enough spare space around them that the overall loading in the room isn't approaching banks of batteries. Most datacenters which are in excess of that were either originally built for telcos (crazy battery banks for the DC plant), or were industrial (e.g. the TANK FACTORY in SF which became 360 Spear/365 Main).
  - cosmicray 16y ago
    > You only really need in excess of that for rooms full of batteries. Behold, racks of crossbar switches (from one such AT&T facility). I'm glad these things are pretty much a relic of the past. I suspect the weight of those racks was one reason for the floor load ratings. http://long-lines.net/places-routes/MoundsOK/DSC00536A.html http://long-lines.net/places-routes/MoundsOK/DSC00536A.html

by pak 16y ago

nkassis 16y ago

That building looks like something right out of blade runner.

Devilboy 16y ago
The article calls it 'extreme brutalism' http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=33+Thomas+Street,+manhattan&sll=-33.886413,151.118261&sspn=0.022836,0.016201&g=33+Thomas+Street&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=33+Thomas+St,+New+York,+10007,+United+States&ll=40.716799,-74.00565&spn=0.000966,0.001523&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=40.716799,-74.00565&panoid=kxOcRk6jH3sMR-4XaNyn1w&cbp=12,208.86,,0,-36.67 http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&...

cosmicray 16y ago

> I don't think you were referring to these, but there are actually a few windowless, fortified concrete skyscrapers in New York that were built as telephone switching centers. Actually no. The ones I'm referring to were (usually) built way out in rural areas, where they were away from the expected blast area of a hit on a major city. The one I'm aware of is built mostly underground, then backfilled so that it looks like a natural hill (a hill with a concrete top, and a big microwave tower). Some of these facilities were rumored to have ground entry points for a system called Combat Ciders ... http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/c3i/combat_ciders.htm http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/c3i/combat_ciders.htm

Pfiffer 16y ago

> The floors are also unusually strong, designed to carry 200 to 300 pound per square foot (10 - 15 kPa) live loads. This is pretty much the coolest thing I've seen all day. I'm not sure what kind of standards buildings are held up to in terms of load-per-foot-squared, but that seems like an awful lot to me. That building is incredible.

rdl 16y ago
Most purpose built datacenters are >100 lb/sf. You only really need in excess of that for rooms full of batteries. Even generators, while individually heavy, usually have enough spare space around them that the overall loading in the room isn't approaching banks of batteries. Most datacenters which are in excess of that were either originally built for telcos (crazy battery banks for the DC plant), or were industrial (e.g. the TANK FACTORY in SF which became 360 Spear/365 Main).
- cosmicray 16y ago
  > You only really need in excess of that for rooms full of batteries. Behold, racks of crossbar switches (from one such AT&T facility). I'm glad these things are pretty much a relic of the past. I suspect the weight of those racks was one reason for the floor load ratings. http://long-lines.net/places-routes/MoundsOK/DSC00536A.html http://long-lines.net/places-routes/MoundsOK/DSC00536A.html