These different levels will often result in a hierarchy of Chips, so that big Chips can later be broken into small Chips.
And given the nature of data centres, they lend themselves particularly well to this approach, where standardisation of the end-user product is paramount.. DfMA brings precisely the reliability, predictability and speed to market that our data centre clients want and benefit from..Creating sustainable data centres.
The biggest environmental impact of data centres is in their use of power and water for cooling, but they are also heavy in terms of embedded carbon.Carbon is embedded in the structure of buildings as everyone knows, but in data centres significantly more so in the M&E equipment within them.As we optimise the geometry and layout of the structure, plant and systems we can have a positive effect on the amount of embodied carbon in the building, structure and systems.. Our more sustainable approach to close coupling and integration increases efficiency in cooling and distribution losses and also lessens the carbon intensive materials used in these systems.. Our industrialisation and digital design approach allows us to quantify this carbon content during design, and minimise the content through optimisation and materials selection.
It means our clients can make arrangements for carbon offsetting prior to the data centre facility being handed over.. We continue to investigate and take opportunities to make use of the heat that is generated by the cooling of data centres.with provision for heat export suitable for connection to district heating or industrial processes where viable.. We are also working with data centre clients on alternative sources of clean energy; an area where we see significant potential for data centres to become autonomous, and to promote the use of cleaner standby power systems.. A positive future for data centre design.
As society’s requirement for data processing grows, so the market for data centres will continue to grow – and at a frantic pace.
The potential impact of our integrated approach, therefore, driving efficiency and improving performance, will only be more important for our clients and their customers..That still exists, but the Hub is now aware of the need to look at other and bigger elements as well, such as information management..
The Construction Innovation Hub is interested in how we can use data more effectively, and how it can be interoperable, reused in different ways by different parties, and throughout the life of an asset.The Hub will continue to explore how to develop platform construction (P-DfMA), and how people can benefit from it, with an aim of developing guides and rule books, but it’s also now looking beyond modern methods of construction (whether you call that platform construction, offsite, or DfMA), at traditional construction as well.
It’s viewing things at an ecosystem level and bringing them all together with elements like the Value Toolkit, which is there to help everyone, but will specifically help clients make better, value based decisions using consistent processes and approaches..The act of combining that with all of the different approaches to delivering buildings means we’re able to progress delivery, while looking towards the long-term as well.
(Editor: Electric TVs)