An 'Inflection Point': How Armstrong Is Helping Manufacturers Meet Evolving Data Center Demands

Global data center development is expected to nearly double from 103 gigawatts to 200 gigawatts in 2030. This expansion, driven by artificial intelligence, necessitates a move toward modular server racks that can support shifting infrastructure and cooling needs.

The white space in data centers, which holds the IT equipment, was once used for low-density air cooling. It now increasingly features high-density liquid cooling, helping to support AI functionality. 

Armstrong World Industries, a Pennsylvania-based company, understands how new data center infrastructure requirements have not only impacted the industry but have also called for changes to the design strategy for its systems. 

Dave Hovekamp, vice president-sales and marketing at Worthington Armstrong Venture/Armstrong World Industries, said AI is a key driver in rapidly changing data center design, putting more demand on power and cooling infrastructure, which plays a critical role in the industry’s future.

“We are going to look back at this period as a pivotal inflection point in data center design,” he said. “Density at the rack is increasing rapidly and not in a linear way. Infrastructure requirements for load and integration are being held to the future-proof standard.”

Hovekamp spoke to Bisnow about the factors changing the data center landscape and how Armstrong continues to adapt to this evolving industry.

Speed To Market

Hovekamp said that as data center demand rises, speed is being prioritized, with compressed construction schedules driving the need for expanded capacity and resilient supply chains. Manufacturers need to have a level of operational certainty and adaptability that will help achieve these goals, he said. 

Armstrong is accomplishing this with its DynaMax structural grid, Data Zone ceiling tiles and Cool Shield air containment solutions, which are manufactured in the U.S. to minimize supply chain and deployment issues. 

DynaMax structural ceilings are a versatile solution for attachments such as data center cable trays, equipment, partitions, and hot and cold aisle containment barriers, connecting them from the building structure to below the ceiling plane. The ceiling tiles are a flexible, sustainable option for data centers, while the air containment solutions optimize energy use and enhance airflow management in data centers.

Hovekamp said having a “well-established domestic supply chain” and U.S. manufacturing footprint allows the firm to reduce initial lead times and be more nimble with field modification requests.  

“Armstrong can lean on over 160 years of manufacturing, engineering-led innovation and reliability to meet the needs of this evolving industry,” he said.

Challenges With Increased Rack Density

As load requirements continue to change, Armstrong is not only focusing on meeting current demands but also pivoting to anticipate future loads. This is often a “gray area” because of rapidly evolving digital demands, which require upgrading infrastructure and future-proofing facilities, Hovekamp said.

“The most expensive infrastructure decision isn’t the one you overbuild — it’s the one you can’t adapt to,” he said. “Adaptability lowers the lifetime cost of a facility because it protects against the unknown.”

Hovekamp said the Armstrong DynaMax structural grid can adapt to a facility’s future needs. The firm’s portfolio of grid and tile solutions can provide users with a single-source, tested system to meet all ceiling requirements. 

He added that when the structural grid, containment and overhead coordination are designed as one integrated system — instead of operating as complex, separate decisions — projects move faster and perform better.

By engaging early with architects, engineers and construction teams, Armstrong sales specialists can help streamline coordination of structural grid systems, aligning overhead loads, containment integration and MEP pathways into a pre-engineered, manufacturing-backed platform that reduces field conflicts and accelerates installation.  

“Our established portfolio, combined with our build-to-spec manufacturing capabilities, enables us to deliver tailored solutions that align precisely with each project’s performance and deployment requirements,” he said.

This same adaptability applies to Armstrong Cool Shield air containment solutions, enabling the same flexibility for future or retrofit requirements.

Designing For A Hybrid, Flexible Future 

Hovekamp said AI-driven, direct-to-chip liquid cooling is fundamentally reshaping how white space cooling and the infrastructure around it are designed.  

“It’s not just a cooling upgrade,” he said. “It changes airflow strategy, containment philosophy, overhead congestion and structural planning.”

Hovekamp said that while direct-to-chip cooling doesn’t eliminate the need for air management, it changes its role. Hybrid cooling is “the bridge” between traditional air-cooled white space and fully liquid-cooled AI environments, he added. 

The Armstrong Cool Shield aisle containment, which separates hot and cold air, supports the increased efficiencies needed in high-density, hybrid environments. 

Air cooling remains essential in hybrid data centers because it removes residual heat from non-liquid-cooled components and maintains stable, predictable airflow conditions, Hovekamp said. Although hybrid cooling strategies often require complex overhead structural systems, this is necessary to keep equipment from shutting down due to the high-level computing required for AI workloads.

While it’s difficult to predict what the future holds for data center construction, Hovekamp is confident that Armstrong’s versatility and scalability with its Cool Shield and DynaMax solutions will continue to adapt to industry needs. 

“When we design products, we're designing flexibility into the solutions so that future modifications result in low-cost retrofits,” he said. “That's how we're positioned to really add value in the critical space infrastructure.”

This article was produced in collaboration between Studio B and Armstrong World Industries. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.