Tune Design Finds it Niche in Data Centers

by Jason M. Reynolds

Chattanooga Times Free Press, May 11, 2003

A Chattanooga architectural firm has been programming much of its growth by specializing in designing data centers.
 

In its six years of business, Tune Design Architecture & Interiors, PC has worked on about 20 centers around the United States and France, said Brian L. Tune, company president. Data Centers make up about 50 percent of the company’s revenue.

Corporations and government agencies use data centers for data backup and emergency operation facilities.

There is heightened interest in data centers in the wake of security concerns by government and companies, though his firm hasn’t been involved in a project as a direct result of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Mr. Tune said.

“There’s a lot of preplanning and people looking into the need for one because of 9-11,” Mr. Tune said. “It got people to think about their vulnerability and how important, or not important, it is for them to spend a lot of capital to upgrade their facility or build a facility that would be more reliable.”

One of the biggest concerns for data centers is their vulnerability to collateral damage or power loss, Mr. Tune said. Therefore, it may make sense for companies to increase the structural reliability or create a more “robust” electrical system for such centers, he said.

“These projects are typically quite complex,” Mr. Tune said. “Any kind of critical operation needs a backup facility.”

Tune Design has created an interior design department in its bid to land more contracts for data centers, which have been in increased demand for the past 15 years, he said. Even before terrorism in the United States was a concern, government agencies and corporations were interested in data centers being designed to protect them from adverse weather such as tornadoes and earthquakes.

His company belongs to two strategic alliances, Mr. Tune said. “We’ve done a good job of making that a part of our business.” Information technology, engineering, construction and architecture firms often form these alliances.

The Integris Group, one of Tune’s strategic alliances, is made up of firms from a dozen cities around the nation and builds data centers, which have a five-year life expectancy because of rapid technological advances, Mr. Tune said. Tune’s other partnership, Tune Design Collaborative, creates justice centers, including the new center in Jasper, Tenn.

Developing alliances is critical for “economic viability in these difficult times,” he said. Tune Design is working to meet this goal, with data centers comprising 50 percent of its revenue.

Not all data centers are for government agencies. Integris Group has worked on BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee’s offices and IBM’s command center in Boulder, Colo.

While corporations build data centers to assist with data recovery during disasters, they also use the facilities as “war rooms” to hold high-end presentations for visitors to impress them with the room’s abilities, Mr. Tune said. So interior design is key in a data center’s construction.

To that end, Tune Design hired Jane Wilson Grant, a locally licensed interior designer as an associate. She was placed in charge of the company’s new interior design division, Mr. Tune said.

The company hired four new workers and promoted Tom Bartoo, an associate architect to vice president to oversee day-to-day operations, Mr. Tune said. Mr. Bartoo also is Mr. Tune’s partner. There now are 14 workers, including four in the design division.
 

“Most people think of interior design as ‘decorating,’ but contract interiors are entirely different,” Ms. Grant said. “I help clients… create the image they want to portray to employees and to their customers.”