Hopefully this isn't a silly question, but do you have a concern about the exhaust/heat hitting the floor instead of having enough room for it to escape?
Servers usually have pretty good fans, as long as you're not doing anything extremely intense you're probably fine with just air cooling at room temp like any desktop PC, we've run them on shelves in a non-ventilated lab for years without issue.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I get the impression that the main reason DCs need special ventilation is due to sheer number of servers producing a lot more heat combined.
Yes, there is a lot of heat that must be removed quickly.
As well, savings can be had by running separate hot/cold aisles - cold air goes into the front of the racks, and the hot air is of course found on the other side of the racks, so that hot air is the focus of the chiller.
I'm not really concerned about the exhaust heat. There's a decent amount of clearance, and the fans are gonna be way stronger than convective currents. Since it's also at the bottom of the stairs, it also sits in what is usually the coolest part of my apartment.
If I need more support while handling shoes, I just sit on the stairs or lean against the wall or hold on to the railing. In other words, there are an abundance of anchor points that aren't free standing.
And thanks for the kind words. This is the first thing I've fabricated out of wood in years. It was very satisfying to finally finish it - metaphorically, as it's not actually stained or sealed.
