Green Supercomputing Center

Description and Benefits:

This construction requirement could have many benefits. It would require conservation of energy resources for the building, show our dedication to the community to reduce the impact of the data center, promote energy conservation, promote recycling and display how a difference can be made.

What does a "Green Design" mean: Design and construction methods which highly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and occupants in these areas:

1. Safeguarding water and water efficiency

2. Sustainable site planning

3. Conservation of materials and resources

4. Indoor environmental quality

5. Energy efficiency and renewable energy

The US Green Building Coucil (USGBC) has developed the
LEED® Program - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design to promote this end. One of the aspects to the program is requirements for new site contruction (LEED-NC).

Accreditation is based on a points system - 69 possible points

LEEDS-NC Classes
Certified 26-32 points
Silver 33-38 points
Gold 39-51 points
Platinum 52-69 points

Project Checklist Points

Sustainable Sites 14
Water Efficiency 5
Energy & Atmosphere 17
Materials & Resources 13
Indoor Environmental Quality 15
Innovation & Design Process 5

Water Efficiency - 5 Total Points

Water Efficient Landscaping, Reduce by 50% 1pt
Water Efficient Landscaping, No Potable Use or No Irrigation 1pt
Innovative Wastewater Technologies 1pt
Water Use Reduction, 20% Reduction 1pt
Water Use Reduction, 30% Reduction 1pt

Energy & Atmosphere - 17 Total Points

Req.-Fundamental Commissioning of the Building Energy Systems
Req.-Minimum Energy Performance
Req.-Fundamental Refrigerant Management
Optimize Energy Performance 1-10pts
On-Site Renewable Energy 1-3pts
Enhanced Commissioning 1pt
Enhanced Refrigerant Management 1pt
Measurement & Verification 1pt
Green Power 1pt

Materials & Resources - 13 Total Points

Req.-Storage & Collection of Recyclables
Building Reuse, Maintain 75% of Existing Walls, Floors & Roof 1pt
Building Reuse, Maintain 95% of Existing Walls, Floors & Roof 1pt
Building Reuse, Maintain 50% of Interior Non-Structural Elements 1pt
Construction Waste Management, Divert 50% from Disposal 1pt
Construction Waste Management, Divert 75% from Disposal 1pt
Materials Reuse, 5% 1pt
Materials Reuse, 10% 1pt
Recycled Content, 10% (post-consumer + 1/2 pre-consumer) 1pt
Recycled Content, 20% (post-consumer + 1/2 pre-consumer) 1pt
Regional Materials, 10% Extracted, Processed & Manufactured Regionally 1pt
Regional Materials, 20% Extracted, Processed & Manufactured Regionally 1pt
Rapidly Renewable Materials 1pt
Certified Wood 1pt

Indoor Environmental Quality - 15 Total Points

Req.-Minimum IAQ Performance
Req.-Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) Control
Outdoor Air Delivery Monitoring 1pt
Increased Ventilation 1pt
Construction IAQ Management Plan, During Construction 1pt
Construction IAQ Management Plan, Before Occupancy 1pt
Low-Emitting Materials, Adhesives & Sealants 1pt
Low-Emitting Materials, Paints & Coatings 1pt
Low-Emitting Materials, Carpet Systems 1pt
Low-Emitting Materials, Composite Wood & Agrifiber Products 1pt
Indoor Chemical & Pollutant Source Control 1pt
Controllability of Systems, Lighting 1pt
Controllability of Systems, Thermal Comfort 1pt
Thermal Comfort, Design 1pt
Thermal Comfort, Verification 1pt
Daylight & Views, Daylight 75% of Spaces 1pt
Daylight & Views, Views for 90% of Spaces 1pt

Innovation & Design Process - 5 Total Points

Innovation in Design 1-4pts
LEED Accredited Professional 1pt

Ideas and Methods to Obtain Certification

Going through the articles and informations available for green construction, the following list was composed. Not all aspects of green construction can be used for all areas of the building therefore the ideas have been split.

Offices & Exhibits Spaces of the Building

Alt. power gen for offices & exibits: Solar, Wind
Rain water collection, gray water reuse
Geothermal heating/cooling
Temp monitors in rooms to control heating/cooling
Motion activated lighting
small HVAC zones in offices
Solar hot water
Natural lighting
LED lighting for accents/work space lights
Plants area for clean air
Employee workout space

Super Computing Center of the Building

Geothermal cooling
water storage
wells vs coils
wind heat exchange cooling towers
Clean burning diesel generators
Green power sources from utility

Building Exterior

Zeroscape landscape
Solar outdoor lighting
Alternative forms of transportation
Bike racks
Bus stop
Electric vehicle parking
Use electric mowers/trimmers
Use electric snow removal

Recycling

Recycle construction materials
place recycle bins in building
Recycle office paper & old equipment
Compost cafeteria food waste
Use recyclable materials

UCAR/NCAR's role:

Lead the effort to obtain certification for the building.

External roles:

Heavily leverage the partnership with Wyoming to work to achieve this goal.

Research Conducted:

Review designers/developers specifically familiar with green construction practices.

For More Information:

US Green Building Council - http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=20
Specific construction ideas - http://www.buildinggreen.com
Construction Practices - http://www.aia.org/nwsltr_cote.cfm?pagename=cote%5Fa%5F0703%5Fsponsor
Green Data Centers tackle LEED certification - http://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid80_gci1239739,00.html
First Green Data Center - http://www.gensler.com/news/2005/08-04_fannieMae.html
Enviro-friendly data center cuts costs - http://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid80_gci1180151,00.html
Wyoming Energy Information - http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=WY
Green Building Pages - http://www.greenbuildingpages.com/main.html
Green Building News - http://oikos.com/
Data Center Energy Saving - http://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid80_gci1230960,00.html

Please look at the other files on the Attachments Page:

A Case Study - Building a Green Data Center
Data Center Design Guidelines Summary
Reducing DC Energy Consumption with wet side Economizers

Search Phrases Used

green data center
leed data center
alternative energy
data center cooling tower

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