Honda Data Center Gets LEED Silver Rating

honda-longmont

The Honda data center in Longmont, Colorado.

Honda's new North American Data Center in Longmont, Colorado has been awarded a Silver rating under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standard from the U.S. Green Buildings Council. The Longmont data center is a Tier III facility, with a 18,700 square foot computer room will ultimately support 1.6 megawatts of equipment load.

The Honda data center uses a flat plate heat exchanger to provide free cooling when the outside temperature allows, reducing the use of chillers for approximately half the year. It alsosaves energy through the use of variable-speed air handling units that consume less energy than traditional Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) units by allowing AC to intelligently ramp up and down to achieve the required under-floor air pressure.

Honda found additional energy savings in the data center support areas, which are cooled using air-conditioning units with outside air economizers. Variable-frequency drives on fans and pumps, and lighting distribution also contribute to the building's energy efficiency. Honda has also purchased wind power credits to offset the use of energy in the facility, and used water-efficient landscaping.

The facility was the first data center in the country to be awarded LEED Silver under the USGBC version 2.2 rating system. It was designed by the architectural firm The Crosby Group, mechanical and electrical engineering was provided by Swanson Rink, and structural engineering was provided by Martin/ Martin. The Crosby Group is a full-service architectural design firm specializing in technical and mission critical facilities, which has completed projects for Fortune 500 companies. Swanson Rink is a Denver based Consulting Engineering firm specializing in planning and design of data center mechanical and electrical infrastructure.