by jbs082409 g3 — August 26, 2009—ACT recently announced that its new data center has been awarded LEED Platinum-level certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The building is the first publicly announced LEED Platinum-certified data center in the nation and the first LEED Platinum-certified building of any type in Iowa, says the company. Platinum is the highest level of certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.
ACT, based in Iowa City, Iowa, is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides more than a hundred assessment, research, information, and program management services in the broad areas of education and workforce development. It says that computer-based technology is critical to its mission and success.
The data center infrastructure has to be secure and reliable enough to withstand a natural disaster and flexible enough to allow for future growth. Sustainability reportedly drove the project, and a design-build team focused on resiliencies and redundancies.
The design-build approach helped to achieve LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water, and material use and incorporated a variety of other sustainable strategies. ACT notes that none of the sustainable design strategies diminish the building’s ability to perform its primary functions. In fact, several of the traits actually aid in the building’s value and functionality.
The ACT data center was designed by Neumann Monson Architects in Iowa City, KJWW Engineering Consultants’ Des Moines office, and McComas-Lacina Construction in Iowa City. In addition, MMS Civil Engineering Consultants of Iowa City provided both civil engineering and landscape consulting.
For more information, see the ACT Web site.
