New Data Center Construction Update - October 29

Not much has changed at the site so far.  The finishing touches are getting put on the architectural drawings, we're waiting on permits, and demolition should be beginning next week.  I do have some updates as to some final decisions we have made though.

1) We will be using 20" raised floors.  Under the raised flooring we will simply have chilled water, water sensors, etc. so it will be clear for the airflow from the HVAC units.

2) For cooling, we will be using chilled water provided by the building along with a set of four 70 ton HVAC units, giving us N+1 redundancy.  We will also be using an air side economizer to draw in filtered outside air during the cooler months, of which we have many here in Chicago.  Combined with the building's economizers on the chilled water side, our overall energy consumption should be greatly reduced, giving us a greener and more sustainable facility.

3) Power in the facility will be backed by an N+1 redundant UPS system over a single bus, unlike 350 E Cermak where we have a single UPS system on each an A feed and a B feed.  We have found that most customers do not dual-cord their equipment, so this configuration offers greater redundancy to that single corded equipment.  There will also be, of course, generator back-up.

4) We will be using an IDF on each floor and installing patch panels in each cabinet by default, with 4 or more pre-run cables.  This will then allow us to do all cross connects easily and quickly with a single patch cable in the IDF.  This should speed up deployment of any cross connects internal to the facility.

5) We will be using a Starline bus-bar system for power delivery.  This system will allow us to offer customers with greater flexibility, as we will not need to wait for electricians to install additional power circuits.  Our own staff would be able to easily and quickly install whatever voltage and amperage you may need on a circuit, decreasing install costs and improving turn-up times.  In addition, the Starline system will allow us to easily monitor each individual feed remotely and using automated systems, improving overall monitoring and thus reliability.

Also, last time I went through I was able to get significantly better pictures and from what I've just said above, you can tell there are going to be significant changes to this space over the next several months.

Here is a good overall view of where the raised floor space will be.  The main entry is directly to the left, the area that is going to be used as the mechanical room and IDF is right past that along the left, then behind that even further is the freight elevator and the bathrooms.  Behind where this picture is looking would be where our office space will be.

This next picture should give you an idea of the primary office space.  The walls straight ahead are going to be taken down, and the office space will be along the full front of the building, back to the first pillar.  Directly behind where this picture was taken is the space for the conference room.  Overall, it is significantly more office space than we're working with currently, with actual windows to the outside as well!

Then here is something I didn't show in the previous set of pictures, the 7th floor space.  Our main data center and office is on the 8th floor, but we also have over 2,000 sq. ft. on the 7th floor.  The space on the 7th floor has a kitchen, with room for some tables, etc. a storage room, and two rooms that can be used for overflow office pace or to allocate for customer office space.  This is the kitchen section of that space, though all the cabinets and appliances are going to be getting replaced anyway.

If anyone has questions about our new data center space, don't hesitate to ask!