DPR’s design-build partner on the project is PageSoutherlandPage. Together they have completed approximately $200 million in data centers in Texas.

Technical Details: The data center will be outfitted with 12 MW systems over 30,000 sq. ft. of white space with the following equipment set:

• 1 N Utility Feed At 161 KV (By Others)
• Single-Ended 161 KV Substation Rated At 20 MVA With Provisions For Double Ending (By Others)
• Tri-Bus 15 KV Switchgear With Auto Transfer Capability
• Underground Medium Voltage Distribution In Tri-Bus Configuration For Critical Power
• Overhead Low Voltage Distribution To White Space
• Underground Medium And Low Voltage Distribution In Traditional A/B Bus Configuration For House Power And Mechanical Loads.
• 3 Mode (Single Bus, Double Bus, And Tri-Bus) Medium Voltage N+1 Diesel Rotary UPS (DRUPS) Plant With 24 Hour Fuel Storage
• 120/ 208V Remote Distribution Panels (RDP’s) And Remote Power Panels (RPP’s) For White Space Legacy Equipment

Phase 1 facility features include:

• High-Availability, concurrent maintainability on all components
• Entire critical load fully Level 5 Commissioned
• 38,253 sq. ft. of data hall white space
• Supports average energy densities of 200 watts/sq. ft.
• Structurally Sound: FEMA 356 “Essential Facility” category
• Seismically Reinforced: Building and all improvements seismically reinforced to a 1.5 Structural Importance Factor
• Carrier-Neutral: Six Tier I carriers on-property: Level 3, AboveNet, CenturyLink (Qwest), AT &T, Verizon Business and Tata Communications.
• Low latency: 17 msRT to San Jose, 3.5 msRT to Seattle, 45 msRT to Chicago, and 87 msRT to Tokyo, Japan

Despite a very fast schedule and highly complex scope, the project was completed under budget and with just 16 punchlist items at substantial completion.

Fast Computer, Fast Schedule
It almost goes without saying that one of the fastest computing facilities in the world would be built on an equally fast schedule. The 10-month schedule included minimum 56-hour workweeks for the field teams, sometimes with only DPR-mandated days off. In addition, there were 41 weather impact days—far more than usual in Austin—that were absorbed by the schedule.

All owner milestones were completed on time or early, and the owner was able to move into the space two months early to begin build-out of the super-computer. The project was also awarded the University of Texas Safety Through Exemplary Performance (STEP) Silver Award. The project was completed with zero accidents, zero recordables and zero lost time incidents.

Self Performed Work
DPR self-performed demolition, drywall, accessory installation and concrete to help drive the schedule and fill in difficult to contract scopes.

The project design includes the use of UPS flywheels in lieu of the more typical static batteries. The UPS flywheels have several advantages for this project: they use about 30% less space than static batteries, are not potential explosion hazards, don't require special room ventilation, and have a life span of approximately 20 years. In emergency situations they provide 14 seconds of load at 100%, which is more than enough time for emergency generators to reach full capacity.

In lieu of the split DX units that were planned for the roof, the team recommended using Water-Cooled Chillers and a Cooling Tower. DX units are less expensive to install, but much more expensive to run. Using life cycle energy analysis tools with the BIM, the team determined that although the Water-Cooled Chillers were more expensive to install, over a 15-year period the University would save upwards of $16 million in energy and maintenance costs.

The ceiling in the data center white space was lower than in a typical data center, and did not have the load capacity to support the data cable trays. The team designed the load from the cable trays to be supported from the raised access flooring below. Rather than hanging from the ceiling, the trays are supported from below via poles at the base of the server cabinet.

The cable tray support system was designed electronically in BIM, and run through clash detection software during design. The team was able to see exactly how much space was available for cabling, and make adjustments where needed. In some instances, the design left as little as ½” clearance. Having the entire design and construction team involved in the clash detection, accurate changes could be made in the drawings rather than the field when changes are more costly to implement.

To help expedite the schedule, an early release package for abatement was developed for the portion of the building that was unoccupied prior to the project starting. When the building was vacated, DPR was able to move quickly and could focus on the white space, demarcs and electrical room demo and build-back.

Technical Details

• Tier Level: Tier III
• Structure: Precast concrete
• Raised Floor: 9,000 sq. ft.
• Critical Load: 1.44 MW
• Watts/square foot: 150/sq. ft.
• Hot aisle/cold aisle containment
• Rotary Flywheel Uninterruptible Power System (UPS): 2N
• Chilled Water System: N+1 system for cooling of white space and UPS rooms

Phase 1 features include:

• Tier III design: N+1 to 2N Redundancy on all Systems
• EYP Commissioned, Supporting Energy Densities of 200 watts/sq. ft. throughout
• All improvements seismically reinforced to a 1.5 Structural Importance Factor
• PUE 1.37

Pre-set goals for the project included: 

• Completion of each phase ahead of schedule
• Zero defects at substantial completion of each phase
• Exceeding 75% local workforce participation

In order to beat the schedule, DPR incorporated Lean construction practices for an open and consistent dialog between trades resulting in higher predictability and smoother workflow. By using this collaborative approach, each phase of the project was not only delivered ahead of the contracted schedule but also with zero defects at substantial completion. This allowed Facebook to begin populating their data suites and trafficking live data sooner. To exceed the hiring goal, DPR collaborated with subcontractors, held career fairs, and posted hiring information to Facebook and other websites. This dedicated team effort allowed the project to attain 90% its manpower from the local workforce for both buildings.

Facebook plans to build multiple data centers on the Lulea campus, beginning with a 290,000 sq.-ft. first phase that was completed in late 2012, and begin supporting traffic in the first half of 2013.

The expansion of Facebook’s infrastructure beyond the U.S. reflects the increasingly global makeup of its user base. More than 75 percent of Facebook’s 800 million users are located outside the United States. Building data centers closer to these users will improve the speed of their connection and overall Facebook experience. The Facebook announcement has been celebrated in Sweden, and particularly in Lulea, where economic development officials have been marketing the region as a data center destination due to its combination of a cool climate, strong connectivity and plentiful supply of cheap, renewable energy.

The cool, dry climate allows the use of outside air to cool the data centers, similar to Facebook's Prineville, OR and Forest City, NC sites (also built by DPR). The average daily temperature in Lulea ranges from high of 41 degrees Fahrenheit to low of 27 degrees Fahrenheit. The area averages just four days a year with high temperatures exceeding 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The nearby Lule River produces about 13.6 million MW hours of hydro-electric power, equal to 10 percent of Sweden’s total demand for electricity. Lulea, Sweden has some of the cheapest power rates in all of Europe.

Inside the data center buildings, Facebook is implementing the server and data center designs outlined in the Open Compute Project, which the company launched in February 2012 to release its custom designs for servers, power supplies and UPS units.

More than doubling the size of the worldwide market leader's Los Angeles area cabinet capacity, the project required the team to devise solutions to a host of technical challenges posed by the need to convert, or "Equinize," and existing data center unto the very detailed specifications of Equinix's high-performance centers throughout the U.S. and Asia-Pacific.

DPR delivered this complex, fast-tracked renovation two days early, on budget and with zero defects.

Read more about Facebook's Open Compute Initiative

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It's no surprise then that when Digital Realty Trust needed to build out a data center and telecommunications facility in Santa Clara, it called on DPR, the technical builder that specializes in projects for advanced technology clients.

Digital Realty Trust relied on DPR to design/build this 40,000-sq.-ft., raised-floor data center and 20,000-sq.-ft. support space with rooftop cooling system. This included complete program, basis of design, schematic design and permit documents.

Brought into the process early on, DPR provided procurement and estimating services to develop the project budget and led the competitive bidding process for all mechanical, electrical, plumbing, civil, structural and architectural trades. DPR also acted as the project liaison with the City of Santa Clara Planning, Building, Public Works, Fire and Electrical departments.

While there were multiple players on the design/build team, DPR provided Digital Realty Trust a single source of accountability for the project design, schedule and budget. From the beginning, DPR set about building a cohesive team and obtaining buy in from all its members. Pre-planning efforts on every aspect of the project, from initial design and estimate to scheduling tasks and phasing subcontractors, ensured that there was sufficient time to deal with any hiccups that might arise during startup. The result? Timely delivery of the project, zero safety incidents, and no disruptions to existing tenants.

The site was turned over to the client  with a PUE Measurement of 1.36 at 100% IT Load and was completed under budget.

The project consists of a build out of an existing two-story facility that was extensively upgraded for data center use. Scope includes 32,139-sq.-ft. of raised floor with 110 watts/sf on the first floor and 174 watts/sf on the second floor and 4,952dW of critical power. Cooling system is eight 55,000 cfm roof mounted Climate Craft air handlers and 44 Leibert CRAHs. The air handler cooling coils are provided chilled water by four 500 ton Trane centrifugal chillers. UPS system is comprised of eight 50kVA modules and eight 626kVA modules. Mechanical cooling is water cooled chilled water with CRAH units and Packaged Air Handlers which include outside air economization to provide for excellent energy efficiency.

Several value added services were performed for this client including:

• A site search covering 11 states, 30 communities and 50 specific sites
• Negotiation of an incentive package, including utility and infrastructure extensions and grants, enterprise zone tax credits and other incentives to assist this large client to locate in Nebraska
• Due diligence of the selected site and all associated infrastructure
• Coordination of all utility and infrastructure needs with the applicable state entities
• Iinterview, recommendation, selection and management of all specialty consultants covering air emissions, water emissions, water use, groundwater (well) and environmental permits

This unique building configuration provides the client with a ‘quicker to market' solution and lower day one capital costs.

• Developed economical mechanical and electrical systems that have the least amount of impact on the existing building structure avoiding costly reinforcement of the existing structure and a longer schedule.
• Constructing the exterior foundations and underground site utilities during the winter.
• Sequencing the delivery of major pieces of outside mechanical and electrical equipment with the exterior work due to tight sight constraints.
• Developing economical construction solutions to get the major pieces of outside mechanical and electrical equipment above the 500 year flood plain.
• Utilized the undeveloped warehouse space to pre-fabricate mechanical and electrical utilities for server racks for quick installation. Quality control and production was greatly improved due to “shop fabrication” in lieu of “field fabrication” techniques.
• Utilized very detailed field coordinated BIM technology cad drawings to maintain high level of quality control between all trades improving quality and production.

The building shell is structural steel with pre-cast concrete panels. The site was overexcavated six feet below the finished floor to make room for 46 miles of underground conduit and 45,000 cubic yards of lean concrete backfill which will support this critical facility. Inside DPR built-out the infrastructure down to the remote power panels. A static UPS system with diesel generators provide the back-up power source.

This Confidential Software Provider joins a growing list of technology companies drawn to Quincy, a small farming town near the Columbia River in Grant County with a population just over 5,300. The town is attractive for its abundant land, inexpensive cheap power from the Columbia River and network of fiber optic cable lines.

Phase II and III have 67,000 sq. ft. of raised floor at 150 watts/sq. ft. with a 14MW Critical Load. Modular chilled water plant cooling system with custom AHU’s and proprietary rack cooling system, N+1.

This Global Content Provider joins a growing list of technology companies drawn to Quincy, a small farming town near the Columbia River in Grant County with a population just over 5,300. The town is attractive for its abundant land, cheap hydroelectric power from the Columbia River and network of fiber optic cable lines.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools are being used to streamline coordination of equipment installation and to resolve clashes before designs are complete. At the construction mid-way point, the team has identified 400 major clashes that have led to re-sizing of ductwork, lowering ceilings and re-routing of mechanical and electrical systems. The mechanical team estimates that the electronic coordination has saved them approximately two months on the schedule and $50,000-$10,000 due to lack of conflicts.

DPR created the architectural, structural and miscellaneous support models. The mechanical and electrical subcontractors each created their scopes in the model, as did the telecommunication and fire protection contractors. The subcontractors have gained the most use of the models through multidiscipline coordination, shop drawing creation and visuals to attach to RFIs.

At the end of the project, the model will be handed over to the owner to use with their ‘as-built’ documentation and facility management.

The owner's initial plan called for two distinct phases: shell construction and data center finishout, with demobilization from the site between the two. This was to accommodate the company's fiscal year and funding availability. DPR recommended compressing the shell construction by two months and starting later, eliminating the need for additional demobilization/mobilization and saving on the overall budget.

The electrical underground design would not be ready in time to meet the new accelerated schedule. Completion of the building slab was a critical schedule milestone, as it was to serve as the casting bed for the tilt-up panels. However, the electrical underground design would not be ready in time for the new accelerated schedule. Under the original schedule, the massive amount of electrical conduit needed would have been installed below the slab prior to it being poured. To allow construction to proceed while electrical design was in progress, the project's structural engineers analyzed the foundation grade beam structure and made recommendations for proceeding with the slab. The approach was to utilize the four feet of flowable, lightweight concrete under the exterior grade beams for access. When the building construction was complete, a portion of the interior slab was removed and sections of the lightweight concrete excavated. Electricians were then able to run conduit from the interior of the building to the exterior yard while the interior build-out progressed.

The city utility also did not have sufficient infrastructure to support the facility by the accelerated completion date. They agreed to have power ready in time for the original completion date but could not guarantee service for the compressed construction schedule. The team enlisted a temporary services design and implementation company to design and provide temporary cooling and dehumidification of the interior to allow sensitive activities to continue without hindering the schedule.

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The R&D consolidation project brought many separate work groups together into a single open work area. Each of these groups has different equipment with different MEP requirements, different schedules, and different overall project needs. To help each user group visualize the layout of the new space and get their feedback on changes prior to installing work, DPR walked each through a mock-up of the space. Before laying out floors and installing equipment as it was shown on the plans, DPR ran everything through the end-users first. Each was shown – through mockups, sketches, blueprints – what their space would ‘look' like to help them visualize what they needed. Most of the silicon chip scientists moving in to the facility had never built a lab before and found this exercise helpful to pinpoint exactly what they would need.

The fast schedule left no time for shop drawing approvals or prefabrication. On mechanical and electrical-heavy projects like this, time is typically spent early on to review submittals with subcontractor teams, receive their approvals, and prefabricate much of the work. Because of the fast pace of this project, there was no time to review shop drawings or prefabricate MEP systems. Everything had to be approved, built, and installed on site and on the fly.

DPR supervised and coordinated the work on site as it was installed. Field engineers from the mechanical and electrical teams worked on site with DPR to hand sketch single sections of work. The sketches were emailed to engineers for approval, then fabricated and installed. DPR's superintendent coordinated the work of the teams to ensure the work – performed under raised floor and in the same space – continued efficiently without workers getting in each other's way.

Part of DPR's scope of work was to oversee the decommissioning, moving, and reinstallation of more than 150 different kinds of microchip research and testing tools. Each tool move involved the tool operator, riggers, movers, mechanical subs, electrical subs, and DPR. Each tool also had different requirements for downtime, MEP systems, and start-up, and a constantly changing schedule for when it could be moved, based on current production schedules.

DPR took a hands-on, tool-by-tool approach to supervising the tool moves. A mechanical/electrical coordinator was stationed at each end of the move to monitor the shutdown and startup. The superintendent at the project site coordinated installation subcontractors, making sure each parties was there when needed and that work was performed in the right order. For example, electrical connections must be made before compressed air, followed by process water. This process was repeated as tools were ready to be moved over the course of four months.

After project was finished, DPR had to take it all offline to install 120 zone valves in less than 48 hours at the request of the owner. These new process cold water zone valves were added to allow the owner to isolate smaller sections of the system for maintenance work, so all tools don't have to be shut down for one repair.

The project was recognize with numerous awards including the 2010 ABC Eagle Award in the Commercial Category - Central Florida Chapter, the 2010 NAIOP Award of Excellence for Green Building of the Year and the 2010 Southeast Construction Magazine Best Green Building.