First LEED platinum data center built in Germany

Citigroup ‘s new data center in Frankfurt, Germany, has been awarded for maximizing sustainability without losing reliability, according to Environmental Leader . The 230,000-sq-ft building, designed by Arup Assocs. , is the first data center in the world to be awarded U.S. Green Building Council LEED platinum and the first building in Germany to achieve LEED accreditation.

The data center’s energy-efficient design was combined with energy-efficient virtualized technology in a modular design that optimized energy use and reduced the total length of cabling by 150 miles. It also includes an enhanced computer room air conditioner that reduces power consumption from 9.3 to 3.3 kW/unit and an advanced cooling tower design that cuts power consumption from 74 to 22 kW. The data center will use only 30% of the power and 40% of the heating energy needed for a conventional data center, and have a free cooling rate of 63%.

Water-efficient fixtures reduce potable water use by 41%. A reverse osmosis water treatment system for cooling will save the building 13.2 million gal annually. The building also uses harvested rainwater for all of its irrigation needs. During construction, all waste was diverted from the landfill, and recycled content of the materials reached 27% with local sourcing of materials exceeding 40%, a representative at Citi said.

Citi representatives said the sustainable design was achieved with no increased cost over conventional data centers and without sacrificing reliability and resilience of the systems. The new building sets new standards in sustainable design , set to bring about dramatic changes in the way that energy-hungry data centers are designed and built in the future.

Read more on data centers and energy efficiency:

Feature: Data center of telecom room?

Reduce data center energy consumption

Google cools data center without chillers

Do you have experience and expertise with the topics mentioned in this content? You should consider contributing to our WTWH Media editorial team and getting the recognition you and your company deserve. Click here to start this process.