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I first spoke about energy conservation in data centers at a conference in the spring of 2001. It was a disaster. Nobody cared. Energy was cheap, and reliability trumped everything. [...]

As more and more corporations move their data centers into mission critical, 24/7 environments, the use of energy and power continues to raise eyebrows. The crucial nature of these facilities [...]

The 2001 energy debacle in California threw a very public spotlight on an issue industry insiders have been brooding over for years--the vast amount of energy consumed by data centers [...]

All good things must end, and so it is for the current paradigm for data center design. Today's approach to data center design has not changed for over 30 years, […]

The article explains why effective communication between facility management (FM) and information technology (IT) departments improve profitability for an organization as a whole. It discusses things that can go wrong when FM and IT do not work together, the most critical of which is the inappropriate allocation of capital. It cites the benefits of this collaboration in the experiences of a specialized data communications provider and a financial institution operating in global niche markets. INSET: Codes and Standards Give FM, IT Plenty to Talk About.

The article discusses ways by which data center facilities in the U.S. can avoid energy waste. According to the authors, energy waste among data center facilities can be attributed to utilization equipment and the 24-hour uninterrupted use of electric power. They claim that the energy efficiency of a data center will depend on the overall design of their mechanical and electrical infrastructure. They add that correct sizing of these systems for modular growth will help lower energy waste levels.

The article discusses the need to develop more reliable data center facilities. Reasons for evaluating an existing health care data center includes consolidation due to the high cost of distributed computing, compaction due to more updated equipment, clinical computing brought about by large files from picture archiving and communications systems (PACS). A suggested scheme to numerically specify system reliabilities is the four tiers defined by the Uptime Institute. Design of disaster recovery procedures may be based on a mission's level of importance.

The article discusses the need to look at some old practices from right-sized buildings to more efficient technologies to meet the goal of net-zero energy use in the U.S. The essence of adopting modern ways of thinking about buildings and the way people work in them as an important step on the road to net-zero energy is tackled. The consideration of net-zero energy as the next step in sustainable building practices like LEED certification is also highlighted. INSET: Marine Corps Building Aims for Net-Zero Energy.

The article discusses the key considerations for facility managers designing a data center. Topics include the consideration of duration of service and operation of the data center and the design considerations for expected life spans of enterprise, higher education, and healthcare data centers that have high-performance computing (HPC) operations, the operational needs of such data centers, and the wrapping up of decommissioned data centers through re-purposing or re-selling the property.

The article offers information on data center cooling strategy that are cost-effective as well as prevent damage and keeps the data center cool. Topics discussed include air-side economizer cools the data center with outside air as it has capacity to cool the information technology equipment; water-side economizer consists of a chilled water plant featuring heat exchanger to separate the cooling tower water with the building chilled water; and decision on cooling system options.

The article focuses on the growing popularity of underfloor air distribution (UFAD) in building designs. UFAD systems provide an alternative to traditional method of delivering air conditioning and wiring in offices. UFAD supplies conditioned air through a raised-floor supply plenum, which is also used for power and data cabling. Professor Stanley Mumma of Penn State University, Pennsylvania, says that with 100 percent outside air, UFAD offers improvement in indoor air quality.

Focuses on the importance of data center in digitized hospitals. Major issues driving the need for new data centers; Concept of the process called business-based analysis and design in hospitals; Overview of a tiered classification approach used throughout the industry; Implementation of a business-based approach by the Johns Hopkins Hospital. INSETS: 'TIERS' OF DATA CENTER RELIABILITY;JOHNS HOPKINS TAKES A BUSINESS-BASED APPROACH.

Focuses on the development of a cooling system known as high Delta-T cooling (HDTC) by RTKL Associates in the United States. Features of the Tower of Cool; Verification of the efficacy of the HDTC process; Type of the circuitry used in the system.

The article discusses the adoption of demand ventilation by facility executives. The ventilation strategy allows enough outside air to circulate in the building while reducing energy consumption by eliminating the unnecessary use of ventilation air. Demand ventilation systems involve the use of carbon dioxide as an indicator of the quality of the indoor environment.