A couple of years ago, Fox Architects was asked to help Emerson design a data center to built on their corporate campus. The new energy-efficient data center will reduce the facility’s energy consumption by 17.5 percent as compared to conventional facilities. This project marks Fox Architect’s leadership in Energy Efficiency Design (LEED)-registered data center design, which only a few architectural firms in the United States have attained.

Moreover, Fox Architects felt that building a data center with data center experts would have obvious advantages. They’d have the opportunity to build a showcase facility, incorporating best practices, and at the same time satisfy client’s business needs.

Says Michael Fox, founder of Fox Architects, “Emerson should be recommended for their commitment to create a green data center, LEED (green) design is all about creating facilities that use energy more efficiently; control operational costs; and limit their impact on the physical environment.”

Fox Architects designed Emerson’s 35,000-square-foot-data center to include several energy-efficient elements, which will produce energy savings, reduce operation and maintenance costs, create a better work environment and reduce environmental impact.

Asked why Fox Architects was chosen to design the new data center, Steve Hassell, CIO of Emerson says that the firm was chosen due to its track record of providing Emerson with building solutions that support its corporate goals and objectives. He adds, “Based on Fox’s previous green data center work, we also knew their team will help us navigate the complex LEED certification process.
 
Emerson’s new data center features green design components, such as:

• Solar collectors - Approximately 6,500-square-feet of solar collectors mounted on the building's roof can collect and convert solar energy into electricity for the facility. The solar collectors generate 100 kilowatts of electricity, supplying 14 percent of the building's initial electrical requirements. In addition to providing an alternate source of electrical power, this prominent design feature also conveys Emerson's commitment to sustainability.
• Day lighting - Data centers typically don't have access to daylight because, in the past, there weren't construction materials available that could let light in, while also maintaining the extra structural protection that data centers require. Fox Architects specified new building materials that direct natural daylight into the building's core limiting power consumption, while maintaining structural integrity necessary to withstand an F-3 tornado. Natural day lighting also improves employee efficiency/productivity, reduces human error and enhances employee recruitment and retention.
• Unique placement of condensers - Data centers house servers and numerous data storage systems, which produce heat and require expansive cooling systems run by condensers. Typically, the condensers are housed in a concrete area behind the facility. For Emerson's data center, Fox Architects designed a roof that will house the facility's 40 condensers. This allowed a 12,000-square-foot area adjacent to the facility to be landscaped. The design also locates the condensers right above the areas they serve, which reduced by 75 percent the amount of pipe necessary to connect the cooling systems.
• Green materials – The construction used building materials with a minimum of 20 percent post-consumer recycled content. In addition, the materials were extracted and manufactured locally to minimize the energy required to transport them to the construction site. The facility also used low-impact, low-emission carpets, paints, adhesives and sealants.
• Reduced building footprint - The layout of the data center maximizes space, which decreases the size of the facility and its parking lot. Together, these design elements reduce the amount of surfaces that don't absorb water. This saves money and lowers the amount of storm water runoff, which can pollute the sewer system.