Less than a year after opening its ultra-green, hydropowered data center facility in Luleå, Sweden, Facebook is back at it in Mother Svea with yet another novel approach to data center design. In May, the tech giant broke ground on an expansion to its Luleå facility, which is rated as one of the most energy-efficient data centers in the world, with an average power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.05.
With Luleå 2, the company expects to achieve the same energy performance, but with a construction and deployment schedule that is roughly half its typical data center project. To do so, the Building Team is implementing Facebook’s newly developed Rapid Deployment Data Center (RDDC) concept, which utilizes modular and Lean design principles to streamline planning and construction, reduce the amount of materials, and create facilities that are more site-agnostic, according to Marco Magarelli, AIA, Architect, Datacenter R&D with Facebook.
“By deploying pre-manufactured assemblies, a majority of the components can be used interchangeably,” wrote Magarelli in a recent blog post on the RDDC concept. “It’s our hope that by standardizing the designs of our component assemblies, much like we do with OCP servers, we can deploy a unitized data center into almost any region in the world faster, leaner, and more cost effectively.”
Developed through the Facebook-initiated Open Compute Project, which aims to crowdsource data center design, the RDDC approach relies on two core prefab concepts:
Chassis assembly method. Pre-assembled steel frames 12 feet wide and 40 feet long serve as the “chassis,” on which the vital data center components—cable trays, power busways, containment panels, lighting, etc.—are bolted in a factory, much like an auto assembly line. The chassis are shipped to the site and mounted atop steel columns. The chassis are attached end to end to create the typical 60-foot-long cold aisle, with 10 feet of aisle space at each end. This series of connected chassis forms a “canopy,” under which the server racks reside.
“Unlike containerized solutions, which are a full volumetric approach that includes a floor, this idea focuses solely on the framework that exists above the racks, to avoid shipping the empty space that will eventually be occupied by the racks,” said Magarelli.
Flat-pack assemblies. This Ikea-like approach neatly packs the walls and ceiling panels into standard, 8-foot modules that are easily transportable to a site on a flatbed trailer without requiring special permits for wide loads. Standard building products like metal studs and preassembled, unitized containment panels are then erected on the site and are fully self-supporting.
The ceiling panels use Epicore metal deck product, which spans the 12-foot width of the cold aisle and racks. This serves the additional duty of carrying the loads of the trays, power bus, and light fixtures below it using a proprietary hanger clip for the threaded rods, according to Magarelli.
“Careful attention was paid to minimizing the number of unique components,” he wrote. “For example, 364 identical wall panels are used in each data hall.”
For more on Facebook’s Rapid Deployment Data Center method, visit: www.opencompute.org/blog/faster-leaner-smarter-better-data-centers.
Related Stories
High-rise Construction | Jul 15, 2016
Zaha Hadid designs geometric flower-shaped tower for sustainable Qatar city
The 38-story building will have a mashrabiya latticed facade with hotel and residential space inside.
Building Team | Jul 11, 2016
Design-assist: The way to really fly [AIA course]
Experts explain the benefits of DA, a process where the subcontractors are retained to assist other Building Team members in the development of a design. Earn 1.0 AIA CES learning units by reading and taking the exam.
Building Team | Jul 11, 2016
Addressing client concerns about design-assist
Common concerns about DA include lack of familiarity, obtaining competitive pricing, and design liability.
Sponsored | Building Team | Jul 11, 2016
Construction Disruption at AECX: Technology, hackathons and the promise of change in LA
The lead up to AECX featured a discussion providing insight into the current state of the AEC technological revolution by exploring opportunities, challenges and choices AEC pros face.
Green | Jul 1, 2016
Perkins Eastman pledges to use EDGE green building system for five upcoming international projects
The firm will partner with the International Finance Corporation to promote sustainable building in emerging markets like India and China.
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 1, 2016
AIA releases summary of the 2016 Design and Health Research Consortium
Consortium members discussed how architects, designers, and health professionals can best apply design and health research in their communities.
Architects | Jun 30, 2016
The year's best small projects include a floating sauna, dental trailer, and smocked porch
AIA chose the 2016 recipients of the Small Project Awards. Every entry cost less than $1.5 million to build, with one as low as $900.
Architects | Jun 29, 2016
AIA: Healthy demand for all building types signaled in Architecture Billings Index
Recent client interest could signal resurgence for institutional market. May's ABI score was the highest mark in nearly a year.
Architects | Jun 28, 2016
5 easy ways architects can increase their profits
Whitehorn Financial Managing Principal Steve Whitehorn offers effective ways to recoup lost revenue, including a few strategies that capitalize on recent changes to the federal tax code.
AEC Tech | Jun 27, 2016
If ‘only the paranoid survive,’ what does it take to thrive?
“Sooner or later, something fundamental in your business world will change.” The late Andrew Grove (1936-2016), Co-founder of tech giant Intel Corp., lived by these words.