Just as important as the
decision of where to build a Data Center is choosing what to build it out.
Choosing materials composed of renewable resources, recycled content will help
in building green data center. Green options among common building materials
include:
Concrete containing fly ash: Fly
ash is a fine remainder created as a blow byproduct when coal is burned in
electric power generation plants. Using the glass-like powder as an alternative
for cement in concrete keeps it out of landfills and lowers demand for cement,
the production of which generates considerable carbon dioxide. Concrete
containing fly ash is also stronger and easier to pump than that containing
only customary cement.
Green insulation: Cellulose
insulation is advised even greener than conventional fiber glass insulation
because it is made primarily from recycled newsprint. Another option is natural
fiber insulation made from scrap denim, recovered from clothing factories and
otherwise bound for the trash.
Rubberized asphalt:
Rubberized
asphalt is a mix of regular asphalt and crumb rubber—ground up scrap tires. The
material lowers tire noise and is cheaper than conventional asphalt; every lane-mile
uses an estimated 2,000 old tires that would otherwise end up in landfills.
Steel: Steel
made through the basic oxygen furnace process contains nearly 100 percent
recycled content. Because of its great strength, this type of steel is typically
used for items such as structural beams or plating.
Roof: Roofs with
high-radiative properties, often called cool roofs, make your building
greener not only because they save energy, but also because they decrease heat
islands. A subset of cool roofs, also known as green roofs or living roofs,
deploys live vegetation atop conventional roofing. In addition to the
temperature-reducing benefits of other cool roofs, green roofs lowers
storm-water runoff, act as additional building insulation, and are credited
with nearly doubling a roofing system's lifespan by shielding the surface from
sun and rain. Green walls or living walls, which apply the same mechanism to a
building's vertical surfaces, can also be employed, although are much less
common.
