Facebook achieves LEED Gold Certification

Facebook has posted on their achieving LEED Gold Certification.

Prineville Data Center Receives LEED Gold Certification

by Prineville Data Center on Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 4:30pm

 

When we first envisioned our Prineville data center a couple of years ago, we knew we wanted it to be one of the most energy efficient in the world. To achieve this goal, we redesigned our entire physical infrastructure, from grid to gates, with a focus on squeezing out every possible efficiency. The end result: a data center that requires 52 percent less energy to operate than a comparable facility built to code requirements. And now we’re excited to share that all our hard work on the first phase of our Prineville facility has been recognized with LEED® Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Some of the details are shared.

In addition to its energy efficiencies, the Prineville data center includes many other environmental conservation features, both in its construction and in its use. Twenty-seven percent of building materials used came from recycled products, and 30 percent of materials used were locally sourced and manufactured. Ninety-one percent of the wood used was FSC-certified from sustainability-managed forests, and 83 percent of construction waste was recycled or reused, preventing 530 tons of waste from ending up in a landfill.

 

At the completed facility, 100 percent of rainwater is captured and reused for all irrigation and toilet-flushing needs, a savings of 272,000 gallons of municipally treated water per year. A solar energy installation generates an estimated 204,000 kilowatt hours per year, providing electricity to the office areas. The offices are even heated through reuse of heat created by the servers.