By Eamonn Ryan
Sikla brings engineered modular support systems to the fast-growing data centre market (Part 2).
Every installation is supported by formal load calculations and certification documentation.
© RACA Journal
As cooling demands continue to increase within modern data centres, the supporting infrastructure required to carry chilled water systems, HVAC services and electrical installations has become increasingly sophisticated. Properly engineered support systems are no longer a convenience – they are fundamental to maintaining reliability, flexibility and safety within mission-critical environments.
Within the white room environment itself, Sikla’s systems help create the layered infrastructure necessary to support modern data centre operations. Demonstrations at the 2026 Pan African Data Centre Conference and Exhibition illustrated how modular frameworks support overhead services including chilled water pipework, fire suppression systems and cable management infrastructure while maintaining appropriate separation between different services.
Good engineering practice dictates that pipework should be installed below electrical cabling wherever possible to minimise the risk of leaks affecting power or data systems. Sikla’s range of modular frames and specialised clamps, including solutions designed specifically for chilled water applications, helps maintain these separations while accommodating the dense installations increasingly required in modern facilities.
The same principles extend beyond the white room into plantrooms and technical areas where the company’s systems support chillers, large-diameter chilled water pipework, HVAC services and electrical distribution infrastructure.
Every installation is supported by formal load calculations and certification documentation, reinforcing Sikla’s position as an engineered solution provider rather than simply a component supplier.
For Swanepoel, this addresses what he believes is one of the industry’s most persistent challenges – the gap that frequently exists between engineering disciplines on major projects.
Structural engineers understandably focus on the building’s primary structure, while mechanical and electrical consultants concentrate on ensuring their respective systems perform correctly. Responsibility for supporting these services often falls to contractors during construction, sometimes with limited engineering oversight.
“In South Africa particularly, we still see many unprofessional and uncalculated solutions,” Swanepoel observes. While such arrangements may perform adequately under normal operating conditions, problems can arise when loads increase or systems are modified over time.
By undertaking formal load calculations and supplying tested, modular components designed specifically for calculated requirements, Sikla aims to eliminate much of that uncertainty. The objective is not simply to provide another support bracket or framing system, but to deliver a fully engineered solution that provides traceability and confidence throughout the lifecycle of the installation.
Internationally, the company is already firmly established within the data centre sector, drawing on almost six decades of experience dating back to 1967. Locally, however, Swanepoel acknowledges that Sikla remains relatively underrepresented within South Africa’s rapidly growing data centre market.
Its participation at the Pan African Data Centre Conference and Exhibition is therefore a strategic effort to introduce local developers, consultants and contractors to the engineering philosophy that underpins its global success.
As Africa’s digital infrastructure continues its rapid expansion, conversations will rightly remain focused on power, cooling and connectivity. Yet none of these systems can perform reliably without the infrastructure that supports them. Increasingly, that supporting infrastructure is expected to be calculated, certified and designed from the earliest stages of a project rather than improvised during construction.
For mission-critical facilities where uptime is everything, the systems that support the services are becoming almost as important as the services themselves.
