DEPARTMENT From the GRouND uP JANuARy • FEbRuARy 2010 www.stlcommercemagazine.com NEW DATA CENTERS by Linda F. Jarrett sTEpHEN DoLAN “ While we were looking at this as an efficient way to run an entire IT infrastructure, we were also looking at LEED design, and that’s where things like using the natural light comes into play. ” s Stephen Hassell, vice president and chief information officer, Emerson Building data centers requires much time, money and expertise. To build them LEED-certified goes above and beyond. When three St. Louis companies outgrew their data centers, EMERSON’S GLOBAL DATA CENTER With natural light streaming in large windows and a 7,800-square-foot rooftop solar array with over 550 solar panels, the largest in missouri, Emerson’s new Global Data center anticipates receiving LEED Gold certification, a feat not achieved by many data centers. The $50 million, 36,000-square-foot center opened in July at the Emerson campus in North st. Louis. stephen Hassell, Emerson vice president and chief information officer, says this data center was designed for expandability and ease of use for informational technology. they decided to go the extra mile, not to mention expense, by building them green and sustainable according to U.S. Green Building Council guidelines. “While we were looking at this as an efficient way to run an entire IT infrastructure, we were also looking at LEED design, and that’s where things like using the natural light comes into play,” he says. “It encouraged us to ask a lot of questions like ‘Why not?’ “You wouldn’t normally sit there and say, ‘Well, I’m going to build a data center and I want natural light,’ he says. “But when you’re thinking about it from the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) perspective, you think, ‘All right. What if we did?’” The center, no less secure than other data centers, was designed with environmental threats in mind, rather than military, and can withstand a magnitude eight earthquake and an F3 tornado. The glass used on the front will be able to withstand hurricane-force winds. The center is part of Emerson’s global consolidation of more that 100 data centers 62 . sT. LouIs commErcE . january • February 2010 commerce-CS4.indd 62 12/28/09 9:41 PM