Frost Engineering was enlisted by Netrality Data Centers to provide structural engineering services retrofitting the historic 717 South Wells St. building. Located in what is today known as Chicago’s financial district, the 10-story, approximately 100,000 square feet building was constructed in 1923 and originally operated as a manufacturing facility. The Frost team served as engineer of record on the project and performed all structural analysis and design work in support of the addition of critical capacity to the building, equipment installation and data hall build outs.

Located in what is today known as Chicago’s financial district, the 10-story, approximately 100,000 square feet building was constructed in 1923 and originally operated as a manufacturing facility.

The Frost team established design criteria for building loading and serviceability per Chicago Building Code. Frost performed an analysis of the building as necessary to design the carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) column wraps utilized to strengthen the existing structure on the 10th floor for increased gravity and lateral demands from rooftop equipment installations and increased floor live load ratings.

The Frost team also carried out a gravity analysis of existing floor slabs for direct support of equipment layout adjustments to minimize need for supplemental framing support. The Frost team performed wind, seismic and snow calculations as part of the building analysis. Frost provided design and detailing for an expansion and modification to the existing rooftop dunnage structure to accommodate additional weight from new equipment including chillers and generators.