Xilinx Data Center, LONGMONT, CO
VALUE DELIVERED
Increased ability to capture and maintain business and other information; enhanced operating capabilities; reliable building systems; state-of-the-art protection of missioncritical data; optimum occupant comfort and safety; avoidance of construction and scheduling delays; reduced energy consumption and costs; prestigious recognition from major architectural and energy organizations.
OBJECTIVES
To transform the lower level of an existing building into a new 5,000-sf data center. In addition to support areas, such as server rooms, the renovated space includes laboratories, administrative offices, athletic workout space, and a cafeteria.
SOLUTIONS
Xilinx chose Trautman & Shreve for this challenging design/build project because of the company’s extensive experience in providing sophisticated, reliable mission-critical systems for downtime-averse environments. The project required clearing existing plumbing and ductwork from the space and installing all of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, as well as the piping, plumbing, and sheet metal. The project also required construction of an equipment yard for the cooling towers.
To ensure smooth project delivery, Trautman & Shreve worked with the general contractor to provide building information modeling (BIM) services. Before work began, the company collaborated with key construction team members to build the integrated graphics and data system needed to assess the upcoming project through three-dimensional visualization. This allowed the team to:
- Identify and resolve constructability issues early
- Evaluate various system and equipment options to find the best solution
- Maximize prefabrication opportunities
- Coordinate scheduling
- Reduce costs by eliminating rework
- Optimize safety
The result was timely, cost-effective project completion. And when the space was turned over to the owner, BIM data enabled more efficient facility management.
Overall, Trautman & Shreve’s scope of work involved installing a total of 360 tons of cooling, as well as future taps that will allow the client to expand the central utility plant to a total of 540 tons of cooling and 720 tons of free cooling. Since the existing structure couldn’t bear the weight, the floor alone supported all condenser water and chilled water piping. Furthermore, the critical nature of the data processed and stored at the site necessitated designing and installing HVAC support systems that were 100-percent redundant.
Since completion, this facility has been acclaimed by the Colorado Renewable Energy Society, the Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and the Colorado Society of Landscape Architects.
Additional Information: Trautman & Shreve teamed up with one of its EMCOR sister companies, Dynalectric (Colorado), to provide a single-source solution for this project’s complete specialty contracting requirements.
BACKGROUND
Xilinx is the world’s leading provider of programmable platforms with a market share of more than 50 percent in the programmable logic device (PLD) segment.