Data centres: heat reuse and bold designs

Our ever-increasing need for instant information via the internet is placing data centres in our neighbourhoods, but are we ready to welcome them?

Chris Mason, Senior Architect at StudioNWA, writes: ”What is euphemistically known as ‘the cloud’ is, in reality, the remote storage and processing of data in physical locations – [data centres] form an intrinsic of part of the modern world and how it works.

“The design of data centres, like most storage buildings throughout history, is driven primarily by the technical requirements of what takes place inside them. Data centres are often deliberately anonymous. On a practical level, there is a security advantage in not drawing attention to their location.”

This anonymity is highlighted by research from global data centre developer CyrusOne. It surveyed 13,000 people to discover public perception of data centres in Europe and found that 48% did not understand a data centre’s purpose and struggled to draw a connection between data centres and the digital services that they use. Moreover, those surveyed highlighted the negative impact of high energy use (40%), the creation of electronic waste (33%) and land use (30%).

Mason continues: “The requirement for low latency, the availability [of] power or other advantageous adjacencies will increasingly place data centres in more sensitive environments.

“Where data centres exist in urban areas the issues are particularly acute. The scale and lack of transparency is more suited to industrial environments than a typical urban context.” This suggests that though we expect our digital needs to be met instantly, we have fundamental issues with the buildings that make that possible. Can anything be done?

Security

Chris Mason says: “The scale and lack of transparency is more suited to industrial environments than a typical urban context. There are also issues with noise and the necessary security measures at site perimeters.” Therefore, with any consideration for a data centre in an urban environment, there also must be a consideration about security.

Where and how they are protected, both physically and virtually, is vital. This is especially important considering the data that could be being processed – for example, information from government organisations.

Whatever the design for the building and its surroundings, as well as the clever uses for the heat being generated, the security necessary for the centres themselves has to be factored in.

Data, district heat and pink baths

CyrusOne’s research suggests it can – 66% agreed with the statement that data centres bring value through job opportunities and 62% agreed that they contribute to economic growth in the local area (rising to 71% among those who have a data centre located nearby).

In addition, 49% agreed that investment in projects, such as parks and playgrounds, is a benefit they bring. In fact, the research concludes that to improve its public relations, data centres should be bolder about their benefits.Mason agrees, noting any negativity can be counteracted by “good design principles” such as giving a great deal of thought to making the exterior of the buildings and landscaping beautiful and providing publicly accessible functions such as co-working spaces and tech hubs.

However, making them “less boxy” and more beautiful doesn’t solve the environmental impact. Step forward New York architecture firm Forma. “Why not capitalise on the wasted heat?” asked its architects, who promptly designed the Pink Thermal Baths in Biskra Palms, California, an astonishing idea for a 2972.89 sqm spa destination above a subterranean data centre.

“The excess heat from the servers is dispersed into the pools, providing a hot spring-like experience, while the conic shapes of the various rooms add a touch of calming monumentality and help to control interior air temperatures,” said the architects.

Admittedly its scale, shape and colour would look out of place in pretty much any urban location, but it does offer an interesting option for data centres, not least as a heat source for district heat networks. This is something that is being considered in the UK government consultation on establishing a Heat Network Zoning Authority.

Ultimately, the demands placed on data centres mean they are only going to get bigger and more common, so we’re all going to have to find innovative ways to live with them. As Mason notes: “Data centres will have to perform better environmentally and learn to be good neighbours.”

For more about Forma’s Pink Thermal Baths, visit b.link/Forma_pink
To read Chris Mason’s view on aesthetics, see b.link/ConstructionUpdate_Mason
What Is Data Center Heat Export and How Does it Work? b.link/DataCentreHeat

Image credit | Forma