As demand for data centers continues to grow, data center conversions are attracting increased attention from developers and investors looking beyond new construction. Older warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and industrial buildings may offer attractive redevelopment opportunities, particularly when suitable development sites are limited or timelines are short.
This approach, often referred to as adaptive reuse—repurposing an existing building for a new function—can provide a faster path to occupancy while leveraging existing assets and infrastructure.
However, a property that appears ideal from a location or utility standpoint may still require substantial structural improvements before it can support its new role. Identifying those issues early can help owners and investors make more informed decisions and avoid costly surprises later in the process.
Start With What the Building Was Designed to Do
Every industrial building was engineered for a specific use. A warehouse designed to store goods on the floor carries loads very differently than a data center. Data centers concentrate heavy equipment such as servers, battery storage systems, backup generators, rooftop mechanical units, and electrical distribution equipment. The original structure may not have been designed for these demands.
Before any conversion planning begins, get a structural engineer to assess the building’s load capacity against your intended layout. This isn’t just about whether the floor can hold the weight. It’s about how those loads are distributed throughout the entire structure and whether any upgrades are needed to support them safely.
This step is straightforward and relatively inexpensive compared to discovering load issues after equipment is already specified and the project is in design development.
Assume the Building Has an Undocumented History
Older industrial buildings rarely match their original drawings exactly. Decades of tenant improvements, equipment installations, and operational changes can significantly alter a building. In some cases, those modifications were never documented. In others, they may never have been permitted.
Common findings include previous tenants cutting through structural members to run mechanical or electrical systems, added mezzanines or equipment pads that changed how loads transfer through the structure, repairs or alterations that affected connection points without engineering review, and missing or incomplete as-built documentation.
None of this is necessarily disqualifying. But it does mean a thorough field investigation is more valuable than a review of available drawings. What’s on paper and what’s in the building are often two different things, and you need to know which one you’re actually working with.
Understand What Seismic Performance Means for This Use
This is the area where data center conversions in California and the broader West differ most significantly from other industrial redevelopment projects, and where the evaluation questions get more specific.
Older industrial buildings were designed under earlier codes. In many cases, those codes have been revised multiple times since the building was constructed. A building that has performed adequately in its current use may need significant work to meet the expectations of a mission-critical operation.
Here’s what a structural engineer should be looking at:
Lateral Force-Resisting System
The lateral force-resisting system is the part of a building designed to withstand the sideways forces created by an earthquake. This system may include shear walls, exterior walls, and drag lines that help transfer seismic forces safely through the building.
In older industrial buildings, these systems are often more limited than those designed today. For data center conversions, understanding the capabilities of the existing system is an important step in evaluating the building and identifying potential upgrade requirements.
Roof Diaphragm Performance
During an earthquake, the roof acts as a large horizontal structural element that helps collect and distribute seismic forces throughout the building. The roof diaphragm then transfers those forces to the walls and other components of the building’s lateral force-resisting system.
Many industrial buildings constructed before 1997 were designed under earlier seismic standards and often utilize panelized roof systems, which are common throughout the West Coast. Some of the most vulnerable roof diaphragms are found in older steel buildings with lightweight roof systems and flexible decking. These roofs may not provide the level of seismic performance expected under current code requirements.
As a result, roof diaphragm deficiencies are among the most common issues identified during evaluations of older industrial buildings. For owners considering data center conversions, strengthening the roof diaphragm and its connections can represent a significant portion of a seismic upgrade program and should be accounted for early in project budgeting.
Connections and Anchorage
The connections between structural members—including roof-to-wall connections, wall anchorage, and other critical connections—are often among the most vulnerable components in older industrial buildings. In many cases, these connections were designed under earlier standards and may not provide the level of seismic performance expected today.
For data center conversions, equipment anchorage is an additional consideration. Server racks, generators, battery systems, and other critical equipment must be anchored to resist seismic forces. Evaluating these requirements starts with understanding the capacity of the existing structure. It should also identify any upgrades needed to support both the building and the equipment it will house.
Non-Structural Components
Suspended ceilings, mechanical systems, and overhead equipment can become hazards in an earthquake if they’re not properly braced. In a data center environment, falling non-structural components can damage equipment even when the structure itself performs well.
A qualified structural engineer familiar with both current seismic codes and the specific demands of data center operations should be reviewing all of these. If you’re in the early stages of evaluating a property, ask your engineer to provide a preliminary seismic assessment before conversion planning is finalized, not after.
Know the Difference Between Due Diligence and Design
Whether you’re evaluating a building for purchase or converting one you already own, there are two distinct moments when structural evaluation matters, each serving a different purpose:
In the pre-acquisition phase, gather enough structural information to assess feasibility and estimate work scope before committing to the project. At this stage, focus on understanding existing conditions and needed upgrades, not on developing complete engineering solutions.
During design-phase engineering, the detailed scope and retrofit plans are developed after you decide to proceed.
Skipping the preliminary assessment before committing can lead to costly delays and surprises when issues arise during design. Early evaluation is vital.
It’s worth doing even if you decide not to proceed. Knowing why a building doesn’t work is useful information too.
Choosing the Right Team
A successful conversion depends on two decisions more than almost anything else: who designs the structural solution, and who builds it.
The Engineer
Not every structural engineer approaches seismic retrofitting the same way. Two engineers can evaluate the same building and reach different conclusions. Their solutions may vary significantly in scope, complexity, and cost. Those differences are often driven by experience working with existing buildings and seismic retrofit projects.
Selecting an engineer with experience evaluating commercial and industrial structures can help owners better understand existing conditions, identify practical solutions, and develop a more accurate picture of potential upgrade requirements early in the process.
The Contractor
Retrofit projects require managing field conditions, sequencing work around ongoing operations, and maintaining close coordination with engineers and inspectors.
While many contractors can build to the plans, execution is where cost and schedule risk often emerge. Contractors with seismic retrofit experience understand how to work alongside the engineer to address field conditions, identify cost-effective solutions, and keep structural upgrades aligned with the overall conversion timeline.
At Saunders Seismic, we regularly coordinate with design teams to identify practical, cost-effective ways to achieve engineering objectives while maintaining project schedules and minimizing disruption during construction.
Questions Worth Asking Before You Hire Anyone for a Data Center Conversion
The previous section covers who matters. Here’s how to find out, before you commit to anyone:
- Have you converted buildings to data center use or other mission-critical operations?
- How will you handle discrepancies between available drawings and field conditions?
- Can you provide a preliminary budget estimate before full engineering is complete?
- How do you sequence structural improvements alongside other conversion work?
- What’s your experience with the specific seismic requirements in this jurisdiction?
The value isn’t in the answers themselves. It’s in what they reveal about how they think about the problem. The right contractor or engineer will answer clearly and won’t pretend to know more than they do.
Saunders Seismic provides seismic retrofit construction, structural repairs, and project budgeting services for commercial and industrial buildings throughout California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Utah. We work with property owners, engineers, and developers to identify structural challenges and implement practical solutions for existing buildings.
If you have questions about evaluating a building for conversion or want a second opinion on structural scope, contact us. Our team is here to help!
