DESIGN REFERENCE MANUAL

UI0100A (EIA/TIA: 569, 607)

University of Iowa Telecommunications Closets (5/26/98)

This document has been prepared by Information Technology Services (ITS) at The University
of Iowa.

This document's goal is to enhance and clarify aspects of the following EIA/TIA standards that
relate to the design of telecommunications closets in University of Iowa buildings. These
standards shall be used in new buildings and in major remodels where walls are changed and
new space assignments are made. These standards should be used where possible in existing
buildings.

EIA/TIA-569 Commercial Building Standard for Telecommunications Pathways and

Spaces

EIA/TIA-607 Commercial Building Grounding and Bonding Requirements for

Telecommunications

This document does not exclude any part of these EIA/TIA standards referred to herein.
It is the responsibility of the reader to be familiar with the most recent revision of EIA/TIA
standards in their entirety.

This document does make note of statements in EIA/TIA-569 Section 1.

A properly designed and constructed facility is adaptable to change over the life of the
facility. Owners and occupants can assume that better facilities are constructed through
the use of this standard.

This standard does not replace any code, either partially or wholly. The reader
should also be aware of local codes which may impact the use of this standard.

In accordance with EIA Engineering Publication EP-7, two categories of criteria are
specified: mandatory and advisory. The mandatory requirements are designated by the
word "shall"; advisory requirements are designated by the words "should," "may," or
"desirable" which are used interchangeably in this standard. Mandatory criteria
generally apply to safety, protection, performance and compatibility; they specify the
absolute minimum acceptable requirements. Advisory criteria represent above minimum
requirement goals.

This standard is a living document. The criteria contained in this standard are subject to
revision and updating as warranted by advances in building construction techniques and
telecommunications technology.

Also in EIA/TIA-569 Section 2.2.1

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Telecommunications has an impact on most every area within and between commercial
buildings. Because of this and the additional fact that the useful life of a building may
span many decades, it is very important that the design and construction of new or
remodeled buildings be done to avoid obsolescence. Doing it properly means that the
resulting building is responsive to the many normal changes that occur in both
telecommunications media and systems over the life of the building.

Text that appears in bold italic type indicates additional specifications established by
The University of Iowa.

EIA/TIA-607 for Commercial Building Grounding and Bonding Requirements for

Telecommunications shall be followed.

VARIANCES

These specifications describe standards to which ITS adheres. This document defines a
variance as an approved deviation or change from the standards described herein and in the
EIA/TIA standards described previously. Any deviation or change from the standards shall be
presented to the ITS Infrastructure Engineering Team (IET), whether the deviations arise from
design or from construction practice. The IET shall determine whether the deviation will be
permitted as a variance. Deviations not granted a variance shall be corrected.

Request for variance may be directed through: 1) Facilities Services Group’s Design &
Construction Services; 2) ITS’s Infrastructure Engineering Team; or 3) the assigned Resident
Project Representative.

EIA/TIA-569

7. TELECOMMUNICATIONS CLOSET

7.1 General
7.1.1 The telecommunications closet on each floor is a transition point between
the backbone and horizontal distribution pathways. The
telecommunications closet shall be able to contain telecommunications
equipment, cable terminations, and associated cross-connection wiring.
7.1.2 The telecommunications closet shall be located as close as practicable to
the center of the area served and preferably in the core area.

7.2 Design Considerations

7.2.1 General
7.2.1.1 Telecommunications closet space shall be dedicated to the
telecommunications function and related support facilities.
Telecommunications closet space should not be shared with
electrical installations other than those for telecommunications.
7.2.1.2 This standard assumes the shared use of the telecommunications
closet space for the telecommunications needs of all occupants of
the area served.
7.2.2 Size and Spacing
7.2.2.1 There shall be a minimum of one telecommunications closet per
floor. Additional closets (one for each area up to 1000 m2 (10 000
ft2) should be provided when:

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1) the floor area to be served exceeds 1000 m2 (10 000 ft2),

or
2) the horizontal distribution distance to the work station
exceeds 90 000 mm (300 ft)
7.2.2.2 Closet Linkage
1) Multiple closets on a floor shall be interconnected by a
minimum of one conduit (trade size 3), or equivalent.
7.2.2.3 Based on one work station per 10 m2 (100 ft2), the
telecommunications closet should be sized per Table 7.2-1.

Table 7.2-1

Closet Size
Serving Area Closet Size
m2 ft2 mm ft
1000 10000 3000 x 3400 10 x 11
800 8000 3000 x 2800 10 x 9
500 5000 3000 x 2200 10 x 7

See Fig 7.2-2 for typical telecommunications closet layout.

7.2.2.4 Appendix A2 describes practices not included in this standard.

Small Buildings and High Density Work Areas

Existing buildings smaller than 500 m2 (5000 ft2) may be served by smaller closets
subject to the approval of the ITS Infrastructure Engineering Team and shall take
into account the following factors:

• Ample wall space covered with plywood as specified in 7.2.4.1 for

backbone, horizontal, and equipment terminations to serve the building
space
• Ample equipment space: Either wall space for equipment shelving or floor
space for equipment rack
• Lighting as specified in section 7.2.4
• Dust treatment and finishes as specified in section 7.2.4.5
• Minimum electrical power as specified in section 7.2.4.6
• Environmental considerations as specified in section 7.2.7
• Grounding and bonding per ANSI/TIA/EIA-607
• The space shall be secured (locked) and accessible from a common area

Existing buildings smaller than 500 m2 (5000 ft2) that cannot provide the above
provisions may be considered for a cabinet which provides ample termination and
equipment space, electrical power, bonding and grounding, environmental
consideration, security, and accessibility. The ITS Infrastructure Engineering
Team shall approve of such a cabinet. See UI0100A Appendix A High Density
Work Areas for cabinet specifications.

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See UI0100A Appendix A High Density Work Areas for telecommunications closet
design parameters of high density work areas.

7.2.3 Floor Loading

7.2.3.1 Telecommunications closets shall be located on floor areas
designed with a minimum floor loading of 2.4 kPa (50 lbf/ft2).
Concentrations of equipment which exceed the minimum floor
loading shall be verified with the building owner.
7.2.4 Provisioning
7.2.4.1 A minimum of two walls should be covered with rigidly fixed 20-
mm (3/4 trade size) A-C plywood, preferably void free, 2440-mm
(8-ft) high, capable of supporting attached equipment.
The plywood shall be placed on two adjacent walls with no
obstructions.
7.2.4.2 Lighting shall be a minimum of 540 lx (50 foot candles) measured
1 m (3 ft) above the finished floor, mounted 2600-mm (8.5-ft)
minimum above finished floor.
7.2.4.3 False ceiling shall not be provided.
7.2.4.4 The door shall be a minimum of 910-mm (36-in) wide and 2000-
mm (80-in) high, without doorsill, hinged to open outward (or slide
side-to-side), and fitted with a lock.
EIA/TIA-569 Rev. A is expected to change the door swing to
inward due to egress requirements.
7.2.4.5 Floors, walls, and ceiling shall be treated to eliminate dust.
Finishes shall be light in color to enhance room lighting.
7.2.4.6 A minimum of two dedicated 15 A, 110 V ac duplex electrical
outlets, each on separate circuits, shall be provided for equipment
power. In addition, convenience duplex outlets shall be placed at
1.8-m (6-ft) intervals around the perimeter walls, at a height of
150-mm (6 in) above the floor. If emergency power is available,
consideration shall be given to automatic switchover of power.
Specific outlets for equipment and convenience along with their
locations shall be coordinated with the telecommunications
system designers.

See UI0100A Appendix A for Instructional Technology Center (ITC)

telecommunications closet design parameters. In all cases the
power and outlets shall be coordinated with room design and layout.
A minimum of two dedicated 20 A, 110 V ac double duplex electrical
outlets, each on separate circuits, shall be provided for equipment
power. In addition, convenience duplex outlets shall be placed at
1.8-m (6-feet) intervals around the perimeter walls, at a height of 450-
mm (18 inches) measured from above the finished floor (A.F.F.) to
the top of the outlet.
• A dedicated AC panelboard with a minimum rating of 70 amps with a main
breaker shall be installed in all telecommunication closets. One circuit
shall have surge suppression for electronic equipment. The AC panel
board ground shall be bonded to the telecommunications grounding
busbar (TGB).

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• A variance shall be required for smaller telecommunication closets IN

EXISTING BUILDINGS that can not have a dedicated AC panelboard, if
there is insufficient building capacity for an additional powerboard. This
variance shall be evaluated by the Information Technology Services
variance team.
• The placement of the AC panelboard and telecommunications grounding
busbar (TGB) shall be coordinated with room layout to affect the most
workable location.
All equipment electrical outlets:

• shall be mounted at 450-mm (18 inches) from A.F.F. to the top of the outlet
• shall be mounted at 450-mm (18 inches) left and right of center on the
plywood covered walls
• shall be mounted flush to the wall as possible
• shall be double duplex, 20 amp capacity with T-shaped hole on the neutral
• shall have surge protection at a minimum
• shall be orange
• should have UPS fed from an emergency power source

At least one convenience outlet should have emergency power

7.2.4.7 Access shall be available to the main building grounding

electrode.

Refer to TIA-607 for details of bonding and grounding requirements.

7.2.5 Closet Penetration

7.2.5.1 Sleeves or slots through the closet floor should be adjacent to the
door. Sleeves or slots shall not be left open except during cable
installation and shall be properly firestopped (Appendix B) per the
applicable codes.

Sleeves or slots shall not be covered by doors if they swing inward.

7.2.5.2 The number and size of sleeves, slots or conduit shall be as

determined in 5.2.2 (Fig. 7.2-2).
7.2.5.3 Horizontal pathways are also closet penetrations and are covered
in Section 4.

7.2.6 Security and Fire Protection

7.2.6.1 The telecommunications closet is preferably located in an
accessible area on each floor; e.g., a common hallway. Access to
shared-use space shall be controlled by the building owner or
agent.

The telecommunications closet shall be located on a common hallway area on each floor.

7.2.6.2 Fire protection of the telecommunications closet, if required, shall

be provided as per applicable code.

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7.2.6.3 Sprinkler heads, if required, shall be provided with wire cages to

prevent accidental operation.

7.2.7 Environmental Considerations

HVAC shall be included in the design of the telecommunications closet to maintain a

temperature the same as the adjacent office area. Planning for eventual provisioning, as
required, of continuous HVAC (24 hours per day and 365 days per year) shall be included in the
initial design. A positive pressure shall be maintained with a minimum of one air change per
hour, or as required by applicable code. When active devices (heat producing equipment) are
present, a sufficient number of air changes should be provided to dissipate the heat.

EIA/TIA-607

GROUNDING AND BONDING REQUIREMENTS FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 General
1.1.2 The grounding and bonding approach recommended in this Standard is
intended to work in concert with the cabling topology as specified in
ANSI/EIA/TIA-568 (telecommunications wiring standard) and installed in
accordance with ANSI/EIA/TIA-569 (telecommunications pathways and
spaces standard). The requirements specified in this Standard, in
conjunction with a basic understanding of the grounding concepts, will aid
the user in achieving a reliable grounding solution when applied to
specific telecommunications installations.

1.2 Purpose
1.2.1 The purpose of this Standard is to enable the planning, design, and
installation of telecommunications grounding systems within a building
with or without prior knowledge of the telecommunication systems that will
subsequently be installed. This telecommunications grounding and
bonding infrastructure supports a multivendor, multiproduct environment
as well as the grounding practices for various systems that may be
installed on customer premises.

5. COMPONENTS OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS GROUNDING AND BONDING

INFRASTRUCTURE

5.5 The telecommunications grounding busbar (TGB)

The Telecommunications Grounding Busbar (TGB) is the common central point of connection
for telecommunications systems and equipment in the location served by that
telecommunications closet or equipment room.

The TGB specification shall be Newton part FIG. 3058, insulated ground bar - TC 1/4" x 4"
x 10".

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5.5.2.3 Where a panelboard for telecommunications is located within the

same room or space as the TGB, that panelboard's ACEG bus
(when equipped) or the enclosure shall be bonded to the TGB.

7. TELECOMMUNICATIONS CLOSET AND EQUIPMENT ROOM

7.1 General

Each telecommunications closet and equipment room shall contain a TGB. The TGB shall be
located inside the closet/room and be insulated from its support; a 50 mm (2 inch) separation is
recommended. The TGB shall be located so as to provide the greatest flexibility and
accessibility for telecommunications system grounding (minimizing lengths and number of
bends of the bonding conductor to the TGB, but within constraints of Clause 5).

The placement of the AC panel board and telecommunications grounding busbar (TGB)
shall be coordinated with room layout to affect the most workable location.

UI0100—APPENDIX A

University of Iowa
High Density Work Areas
Telecommunications Closet Design

1. General

A work area such as a small buildings with floor space less than 500 m2 (5,000 ft2), an
Information Technology Center (ITC), class room, etc. shall be fed from a
telecommunications closet when telecommunication outlet density is low. At higher
densities which shall be regulated by circumstances and Infrastructure Engineering
Team judgment the following guidelines shall apply:

2. Design Considerations

A floor standing cabinet may be used as a telecommunications closet for a high density
work area. The cabinet shall:

• be secure (locked).
• have environmental control.
• have a three (3) foot wide unobstructed area surrounding the cabinet, excluding
the side facing the wall. The total area (unobstructed area plus cabinet area) is
expected to be 2,745 mm (9 ft) by 1,525 mm (5 ft) with the longest dimension
parallel to the wall. The unobstructed area may be used for a walkway.
• have two duplexed 20AMP 110 V ac power outlets each with a separate circuit
and neutral installed on the wall directly above the cabinet. Each outlet shall be:
• dedicated to the telecommunications function.
• the only outlet on the circuit.
• labeled with its circuit breaker identification.
• surge protected at a minimum.

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