US data centre certified by new LEED standards

A data centre designed by IDC Architects, part of consulting firm CH2M HILL, has been certified as the world’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) facility of its type. Located in Lake Forest, Illinois, the facility was designed for Grainger, a supplier of maintenance, repair and operating products serving businesses and institutions.

“Our goal is always to build the most sustainable facility possible,” said Gail Edgar, vice president of Grainger Real Estate and Facilities Services. “One of the most important components of the project was to realise significant energy savings by maintaining a low power usage effectiveness (PUE), which measures the energy used beyond the IT load.”

Data centres usually run non-stop, which means these facilities can consume up to 200 times more electricity than typical office spaces. Most of this energy is used to cool the building, offsetting the heat generated by the centre’s IT equipment. The Grainger data centre features an advanced cooling system whereby the energy used for cooling the facility is controlled by strictly managing the airflow, using outside air to cool the building.

As a result, Grainger expects the new data centre to consume up to 50% less energy for cooling than similar data centres. Furthermore, the air cooling design is anticipated to have a best-in-class PUE rating of 1.2 at full capacity - well under the industry average of 2.0.

The project also applied the latest ‘Version 4’ LEED BD+C certification criteria, with CH2M HILL working closely with Grainger and the US Green Building Council to refine the new standards. Intended to bring sustainable design to a broader range of buildings, the standards were finalised more than seven months after the project broke ground yet were still incorporated into the certification process.

Rick Fedrizzi, the president, CEO and founding chairman of the US Green Building Council, said, “The Grainger team has not only created a space that mitigates greenhouse gas emissions and saves money through reduced energy and water use, but with the first LEED v4 BD+C project, they are also playing an essential role in driving the market toward healthier, better buildings for all.”

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