Beautiful office design means nothing if power fails during client calls or internet drops during product demos. Minimum viable infrastructure: 8 watts/sq ft power density, N+1 generator backup, dual ISP with 1 Gbps symmetric fiber, 99.9% uptime SLA. Infrastructure failures cost ₹2-5 lakhs monthly in lost productivity. Verify specifications before signing lease—fixing problems after move-in is expensive or impossible.
Power Infrastructure: Beyond “How Many KVA?”
Power Density (Watts per Square Foot)
- Workstation computers and monitors (2-3 watts/sq ft)
- HVAC systems (3-4 watts/sq ft)
- Lighting (1-1.5 watts/sq ft)
- Meeting room AV equipment (0.5-1 watt/sq ft)
- Pantry equipment, printers, servers (1-1.5 watts/sq ft)
What to verify:
- Total sanctioned load for your floor (in KW)
- Your allocated square footage
- Calculate watts/sq ft = (Total KW × 1000) ÷ Square footage
- Minimum acceptable: 8 watts/sq ft
- Ideal for tech/GCC: 10-12 watts/sq ft
- Generator Backup and Redundancy
N+1 Redundancy:
Load Capacity:
What to verify:
- Total generator capacity (in KVA)
- Number of generators (N+1 minimum, N+2 ideal)
- Startup time on switchover (15 seconds acceptable, 30+ seconds problematic)
- Load shedding policy (does building cut AC during outages?)
- Generator maintenance schedule (monthly servicing minimum)
Electrical Distribution and Circuit Protection
Problems to check:
- Insufficient circuits per workstation: Modern workstations need 2-3 power points (computer, monitor, phone charger, laptop). Buildings with 1 point per seat force daisy-chaining power strips creating fire hazards and tripping circuits.
- Shared circuits across too many seats: 15-amp circuit should support 3-4 workstations maximum. Buildings wiring 8-10 seats to same circuit experience constant tripping when everyone’s working.
- No dedicated circuits for high-load equipment: Printers, pantry appliances, server racks need dedicated circuits. Sharing circuits with workstations causes disruptions. Poor circuit breaker access:** When circuits trip, facilities team needs quick access to breakers. Buildings with locked electrical rooms or breakers on different floors create 20-30 minute resolution times.
What to verify:
- Walk through proposed space with building engineer
- Count power points per workstation (minimum 2)
- Ask how many workstations share each circuit (maximum 4)
- Verify dedicated circuits for pantry, server room, conference rooms
- Check circuit breaker panel location and access
Internet Connectivity: Beyond “We Have Fiber”
Bandwidth and Symmetry
- 50 employees: 500 Mbps symmetric minimum, 1 Gbps preferred
- 100 employees: 1 Gbps symmetric minimum, 2 Gbps preferred
- 200+ employees: 2-5 Gbps symmetric depending on usage
What to verify:
- Quoted bandwidth is symmetric (same up and down)
- Bandwidth is dedicated to your company, not shared building pool
- Provider can actually deliver at this speed (run speed tests during working hours)
- Understanding of contention ratio (1:1 means dedicated, 1:10 means shared)
Dual ISP Redundancy
What to verify:
- Two completely different ISP providers (not just different plans from same ISP)
- Different physical fiber entry points into building
- Automatic failover capability (not manual switching)
- Monthly cost for dual setup (typically ₹40-80K for 1 Gbps × 2)
Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Minimum viable SLA:
- 99.9% uptime (8.76 hours downtime per year maximum)
- 4-hour maximum time to repair
- Financial penalties for SLA breaches (not just “we’ll credit you”)
- 24/7 support with dedicated account manager
What to verify:
- Written SLA in ISP contract (not verbal promises)
- Uptime guarantee (99.9% minimum, 99.99% ideal)
- Maximum time to repair (4 hours acceptable, 8+ hours problematic)
- Penalty structure for breaches
- Support availability (24/7 or business hours only)
HVAC Infrastructure: Climate Control That Actually Works
Cooling Capacity and Load Distribution
- Computers and monitors: 100-150 watts heat per workstation
- Meeting room AV equipment and people density
- Pantry equipment (microwaves, refrigerators, coffee machines)
- Direct sunlight through glass facades
What to verify:
- HVAC capacity in tons of refrigeration per square foot
- Individual zone controls (can adjust temperature per area)
- Cooling performance during afternoon peak (2-4 PM site visits reveal real performance)
- Fresh air intake rates (ASHRAE standard is 15-20 CFM per person)
Redundancy and Maintenance
What to verify:
- Multiple chillers or VRV systems with redundancy
- Preventive maintenance schedule (quarterly minimum)
- Response time for HVAC failures (4 hours maximum)
- Backup plan during chiller maintenance (does building rent temporary chillers?)
Network Infrastructure: The Invisible Backbone
Structured Cabling and Network Drops
What to verify:
- Cat6 or Cat6A cabling throughout (Cat5e is outdated)
- Network drop at every workstation location
- Dedicated network room or rack space for your equipment
- Cable management systems (raised floors or cable trays)
- Existing cable testing and certification
WiFi Coverage and Capacity
Enterprise WiFi requirements:
- One access point per 1,000-1,500 sq ft depending on density
- Support for 50+ simultaneous connections per AP
- Centrally managed system (not consumer routers)
- 5 GHz band support minimum (WiFi 6 ideal)
- Separate guest network VLAN
What to verify:
- Access point density and capacity
- Equipment brand (Cisco, Aruba, Ruckus = enterprise; TP-Link, Netgear = consumer)
- Controlled by your IT team or building management
- Ability to add additional APs if needed
The Infrastructure Verification Checklist
Power Infrastructure:
Internet Connectivity:
HVAC:
Network Infrastructure:
When Infrastructure Can’t Be Fixed
Conclusion: Infrastructure Determines Whether Office Works
Frequently Asked Questions
Minimum 8 watts/sq ft for standard office operations covering workstations (2-3 watts/sq ft), HVAC (3-4 watts/sq ft), lighting (1-1.5 watts/sq ft), and equipment (1-1.5 watts/sq ft). Tech companies with engineering workstations need 10-12 watts/sq ft. GCC operations running 24/7 with high-performance workstations require 12-15 watts/sq ft. Calculate by asking landlord for total sanctioned load in KW, then (Total KW × 1000) ÷ Square footage = watts/sq ft. Buildings designed pre-2015 often provide only 5-6 watts/sq ft which is inadequate. Electrical upgrades to increase capacity cost ₹80-150 per sq ft and landlords won't fund mid-lease, so verify before signing.
N+1 means building has one more generator than minimum required. If building needs 500 KVA capacity (N), it has two 500 KVA generators (N+1). One runs, one stands ready. If primary fails, backup starts within 10-15 seconds preventing outage. Single generator (N+0) buildings are vulnerable—generator fails, zero power for 2-4 days during repairs. This happens quarterly in older buildings. Generator redundancy is non-negotiable for business continuity. Also verify total capacity supports full building load simultaneously, not 60-70% assumption. During heatwaves with max occupancy, undersized generators force load shedding (AC shutdown) to preserve power for computers. Cost ₹2-5 lakhs monthly in lost productivity during outages.
Minimum 1 Gbps symmetric (same upload and download speed) for 100 employees. Asymmetric connections (100 Mbps down/10 Mbps up) fail during video calls—50 people on Zoom uploading simultaneously means 200 Kbps per person creating pixelated video. Require dual ISP (two completely different providers with separate physical fiber paths) for redundancy. Single ISP is single point of failure. SLA must be 99.9% uptime minimum (allows 8.76 hours downtime per year), 4-hour maximum repair time, financial penalties for breaches, 24/7 support. Consumer-grade "best effort" connections without SLAs are inappropriate—resolution can take days. Monthly cost for proper dual 1 Gbps symmetric setup with SLA: ₹40-80K.
Schedule afternoon site visit during 2-4 PM peak heat when building is at full occupancy. This reveals real cooling performance, not demo mode. Check if temperature is comfortable in all zones, not just reception. Ask to see HVAC control panel—individual zone controls are critical (can't have entire floor on single thermostat). Verify chiller/VRV redundancy—single chiller failure means no AC for days during repairs. Ask about fresh air intake rates (ASHRAE standard 15-20 CFM per person)—insufficient fresh air creates stuffy environment. Request maintenance schedule (quarterly minimum) and response time for failures (4 hours maximum). Buildings designed for 50 sq ft per person don't have adequate HVAC for modern 40 sq ft per person density.
Infrastructure limitations are largely permanent. Building's total power capacity is fixed by utility company allocation—landlord can't increase megawatt supply mid-lease. Generator capacity requires ₹50-80 lakh investment landlords won't make for single tenant. ISP fiber availability depends on last-mile infrastructure—if location lacks multiple providers, dual ISP setup impossible. HVAC tonnage is designed into building—adding cooling requires major capital investment landlords won't fund. This is why infrastructure verification happens before signing, not after move-in. Unlike furniture, paint, or layout which can change, infrastructure is permanent constraint for your lease term. Only fix available: exit lease early (costly) or work around limitations (lost productivity). Verify infrastructure during lease negotiation to avoid being stuck with inadequate systems.
