Facebook – Clonee

Development of a new data centre building in Ireland

Technical information

Project: Data centre campus and office suite
Location: Clonee, Co. Meath, Ireland
Contractor: MACE International
Contractor’s architect: studioNWA
Contractor’s mechanical & electrical engineer: Cundall
Contractor’s civil/structural engineer: Cundall
Phase 1: Consists of the construction of 2 data hall buildings, one of which was fully fitted out, plus the construction of the office building, for a total of 56,090m²
Phase 2: Consists of the fit-out of data hall spaces and associated plant. 25,000 sqm.
Phase 3: Consists of a single bar data hall building with associated distribution and administration space. 28,320 sqm.

Location: Clonee, Co. Meath, Ireland
Client: Mace for Facebook
RIBA stage: 7 – CLN1 2017, CLN2 2018 & CLN3 2019
Role: Contractor’s Architects
IT power: 2.24kW/m²
IT cooling: Indirect air cooling
IT area: 75,000m²
Total area: 97,000m²

The design

In February 2015, studioNWA became the contractor’s architect for the development of a new data centre building in Ireland comprising:

3 data hall buildings on a 227 acre piece of land
Administration building with staff welfare and associated plant space
4 data halls per building, each of approximately 4,170m²
2 meet-me rooms for data connectivity per building
Internal plant area of approximately 11,000m²
108 MVA power supply from a 100% renewable source
Site infrastructure to include a substation, guard house, access road, internal road, car parking and intensive landscaping

The 227 acre campus site is comprised of three single storey data centre buildings with associated plant, office, delivery and staff facilities. In support of this there is also feature landscaping, trim trails and a security guardhouse.

The first phase of the campus was completed in the final quarter of 2017. This included the fit out of 4 data halls for approximately 16,400m², administration facilities, delivery systems and the shell construction of the second building which is to be left fallow prior to the internal fit out commencing. This phase also featured the construction of all internal and external roads, car parking and the 220kVA substation. The power distributed to the substation is from 100% renewable energy sources.

The second phase fit out proceeded quicker than anticipated and began in the final quarter of 2017 with the expectation for it to be fully commissioned and handed over in May 2018. During this period the third phase is also starting on site. This phase will see a further four data halls added to the campus and additional support and office areas.

The site has also been awarded a “Globe of Honour” award from the British Safety Council which is internationally recognised as an award for ‘Best in class’ in environmental management and sustainability. The team have also been actively supporting the local community.

Facebook, when complete, will cover an area of 85ha, including internal roads and detailed landscaping.

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Embodied Carbon of Materials.

Embodied carbon represents the accumulative emissions a particular material or product generates throughout its lifetime, from manufacturing stage to installation during construction, maintenance and disposal at its end of life.

Classified as critical infrastructure buildings, data centres are required to meet high levels of security, performance and insurance conditions, thus having to rely on traditional high performing, durable materials such as concrete, steel and aluminium – amongst the highest in embodied carbon content.

As material specifiers, we engage with stakeholders in the supply chain to stay up to date with advances to manufacturing processes of traditional materials and to encourage a growing portfolio of lower carbon alternatives. We analyse embodied carbon data from EPD certificates and prioritise reduced upfront carbon (A1-A5) and circularity whenever possible.

studioNWA has also developed ECMat, its own carbon management tool to produce project case studies and to benchmark embodied carbon of materials as we continue to improve our carbon-conscious spec.

Measure. Monitor progress. Push for change. That’s studioNWA‘s approach to advancing Net Zero.

Life Cycle Assessment Stages: BS EN 15978:2011

studioNWA operates as an ISO 14001:2015 Certified practice, for the implementation of day-to-day actions that minimise our environmental impact. Key objectives include:

Environmental awareness – Continuing education on the climate emergency and our role as built environment professionals.
Energy efficiency – To reduce operational energy consumption at the Old Dairy and the carbon emissions associated with it.
Paper consumption – To minimise paper use and prioritise electronic document trails and correspondence.
Promoting sustainable aspects of the practice – To engage with our audience in relevant topics affecting the industry in a path to Net Zero 2050.

Certificate No: 326702019

We contribute to urban greening.

Urban greening has become more prevalent as a planning requirement in urban settings, where contributions can be made in the form of green roofs, green walls and amenity areas.

studioNWA engages with Local Planning authorities and specialists to identify the best solution for a given project site to mitigate heat island effect, air pollution, rainwater storm management and
contribute to on-site carbon capture, whilst meeting relevant policy targets.

We apply a fabric first approach to our designs

“Fabric first” approach optimises thermal performance of the building envelope to reduce energy use demands from the outset of the design process.

In data centre typologies, this methodology is particularly effective for the design of administration blocks, as daylighting and views out are an inherent requirement for office areas with permanent workstations, meeting rooms and amenity spaces.

Glazing ratios and solar shading devices designed to suit solar orientation ensure the building façade becomes more resilient to excessive heat gains and losses.

In addition, the optimisation of U-values in external walls, roofs and floors, and effective airtightness details result in a thermally efficient building envelope that reduces Energy Use Intensity (EUI) per square metre and associated carbon emissions.
Fabric First
studioNWA continues to invest in its own sustainability capabilities, including software that can provide real-time design feedback on elements that affect thermal performance of the building fabric. Our design toolkit can also assist the team to identify optimal areas for the installation of solar panels, based on incident solar irradiation values on horizontal and vertical planes.

studioNWA’s early stage design approach facilitates coordination with other disciplines and alignment of energy model targets, contributing to reduction of energy consumption and associated carbon emissions.

studioNWA's Operational Carbon Management Plan

studioNWA is committed to a carbon management plan to reduce operational carbon emissions, in line
with the UK and global Net Zero target by 2050 to limit the effects of climate change.

The framework:

We identify operational carbon emissions categories based on the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol Corporate Standard for accounting and reporting scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
We quantify and record emissions in the studioNWA database supported by UK Government GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting data.
We monitor emissions on a yearly basis and benchmark against 2019, our baseline year.
We set goals and implement actions to reduce scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in percentage increments each year.
We inform staff and stakeholders on a summary of actions and progress in a Sustainability Report presented at the end of Q4 each year.

Scopes 1,2 & 3

36.7 Tonnes CO2e

2019 carbon footprint

Scope 1: Direct emissions

Scope 1 is defined as direct emissions from the combustion of fuel in assets a company operates.

How we are improving – The Old Dairy – our office building in Redbourn- is equipped with an underfloor system for space heating needs. Due to its semi-rural location, the property is not
connected to a natural gas network and relies on an LPG tank to fuel a boiler.

Since 2019, our baseline reporting year, we have managed to reduce our CO2 emissions from heating by 36% by investing in maintenance to the underfloor heating and boiler. We have also
adjusted our thermostat and sealed drafts to further reduce unnecessary heat loss.

Next steps – installation of an air source heat pump to decarbonise our heating supply, replacing LPG gas combustion on site for electricity.

Scope 2: Indirect emissions

Scope 2 refers to indirect emissions from the generation of energy purchased from a utility provider.

How we are improving – since we began monitoring our electricity consumption, we have become more rigorous about light switches being turned off after meetings and in office areas not being occupied. Sensors have been installed in the kitchen and toilets. A post-pandemic hybrid work mode requires PCs being left on for longer periods of time, which reflects in the 6% electricity use increase in 2022, also attributed to additional IT equipment due to growing staff numbers. Mitigation measures are in place, such as energy saving monitors and switch-off schedules when possible. We also continue to benchmark Electricity Use Intensity (EUI) in kWh/m2 against CIBSE’s Database for similar office typologies in both typical and good practice consumption scenarios.

Next steps – proposal for a roof mounted solar panel system to go through planning to seek consent for on-site renewable energy production, reduce reliance on the national grid and associated CO2 emissions.

Scope 3: Other indirect emissions

Scope 3 includes indirect emissions from transport, purchase of goods, business travel and other relevant upstream and downstream emissions.

How we are improving – commuting to the office plays a big role in our operational carbon emissions, as our semi-rural location is not accessible by public transport.

One of the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic was that our business was able to adjust to remote working conditions and continued to thrive. A lesson that we took on board as we continue to operate in hybrid mode, reducing the number of car trips to the office and in some cases allowing staff to work remotely from international posts on a permanent basis.

Commuting flexibility has translated into a 51% reduction of carbon emissions from miles travelled when compared to 2019, our baseline year.

We also encourage video calls for meetings and prioritise travel by rail rather than flying.

Next steps – the installation of electrical vehicles charging stations to promote a cleaner mode of transport to the office.

To extend the monitoring of Scope 3 emissions to business travel, hotel stays, waste and other relevant categories.

We streamline BREEAM / LEED process

BREEAM & LEED assessments are the leading and most widely adopted environmental assessment methods for data centre buildings today, often pursued at planning stage and to reinforce client’s ESG goals.

studioNWA’s in-house knowledge of these certification schemes allows us to work closely with our clients, sustainability consultants and wider design team to maximise the potential for architecturally-driven credits and meet project targets.

Water

Selection of plumbing fixtures that reduce water consumption.
Rainwater harvesting space allocation.

Materials

Use of materials with high Green Guide Ratings to ensure lower environmental impact.
Responsible sourcing of wood with sustainability accreditations

Waste

Adequate provision of recyclable waste storage facilities to ensure waste generated during building operation is diverted from landfill.

Pollution

Screened mechanical plant areas for noise attenuation.

Land use and energy

Implementation of green roof and walls for a number of benefits:

Contribution to greening factor, stormwater attenuation, filtration of air pollutants and carbon sequestration, reduction of heat island effect and thermal losses.

Transport

Provision of bicycle shelters and changing facilities to encourage building users to cycle to site, thus reducing carbon emissions from transport.
Charging stations for electrical vehicles.

Health and Wellbeing

Design to provide building occupants with adequate levels of natural daylighting, views out and glare control.
Indoor air quality to be protected from external sources of pollution such as exhausts and cigarette smoke.
Selection of interior finishes with regulated off-gassing emissions.