{"id":92522,"date":"2022-02-17T21:21:42","date_gmt":"2022-02-17T21:21:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/?post_type=metro_project&#038;p=92522"},"modified":"2022-10-26T16:47:01","modified_gmt":"2022-10-26T16:47:01","slug":"uw-data-centers-student","status":"publish","type":"metro_project","link":"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/projects\/uw-data-centers-student\/","title":{"rendered":"<strong>An Online World That Doesn\u2019t Destroy the Real One\u00a0<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-sandow-article-header article-header\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-header\" style=\"object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"663\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Seattle-1024x663.jpg\" alt=\"rendering of a rooftop garden on a seattle data center tower.\" class=\"wp-image-92524\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Seattle-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Seattle-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Seattle-768x497.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group article-header_intro none\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><p class=\"article-date\" aria-label=\"Post Date\">February 17, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n<h1 class=\"size-large wp-block-heading\"><strong>An Online World That Doesn\u2019t Destroy the Real One&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column article-header_meta is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<p class=\"summary size-regular\">Three groups of student designers took on a near-impossible challenge: low-carbon server farms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-sandow-byline byline size-regular\"><span>By: <\/span><a href=\"\/tag\/audrey-gray\">Audrey Gray<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"social-share\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmetropolismag.com%2Fprojects%2Fuw-data-centers-student%2F\" target=\"_blank\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M9 8h-3v4h3v12h5v-12h3.642l.358-4h-4v-1.667c0-.955.192-1.333 1.115-1.333h2.885v-5h-3.808c-3.596 0-5.192 1.583-5.192 4.615v3.385z\" \/><\/svg><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmetropolismag.com%2Fprojects%2Fuw-data-centers-student%2F\" target=\"_blank\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M4.98 3.5c0 1.381-1.11 2.5-2.48 2.5s-2.48-1.119-2.48-2.5c0-1.38 1.11-2.5 2.48-2.5s2.48 1.12 2.48 2.5zm.02 4.5h-5v16h5v-16zm7.982 0h-4.968v16h4.969v-8.399c0-4.67 6.029-5.052 6.029 0v8.399h4.988v-10.131c0-7.88-8.922-7.593-11.018-3.714v-2.155z\" \/><\/svg><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmetropolismag.com%2Fprojects%2Fuw-data-centers-student%2F&#038;description=%3Cstrong%3EAn+Online+World+That+Doesn%E2%80%99t+Destroy+the+Real+One%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3E\" target=\"_blank\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"> <path d=\"M12 0c-6.627 0-12 5.372-12 12 0 5.084 3.163 9.426 7.627 11.174-.105-.949-.2-2.405.042-3.441.218-.937 1.407-5.965 1.407-5.965s-.359-.719-.359-1.782c0-1.668.967-2.914 2.171-2.914 1.023 0 1.518.769 1.518 1.69 0 1.029-.655 2.568-.994 3.995-.283 1.194.599 2.169 1.777 2.169 2.133 0 3.772-2.249 3.772-5.495 0-2.873-2.064-4.882-5.012-4.882-3.414 0-5.418 2.561-5.418 5.207 0 1.031.397 2.138.893 2.738.098.119.112.224.083.345l-.333 1.36c-.053.22-.174.267-.402.161-1.499-.698-2.436-2.889-2.436-4.649 0-3.785 2.75-7.262 7.929-7.262 4.163 0 7.398 2.967 7.398 6.931 0 4.136-2.607 7.464-6.227 7.464-1.216 0-2.359-.631-2.75-1.378l-.748 2.853c-.271 1.043-1.002 2.35-1.492 3.146 1.124.347 2.317.535 3.554.535 6.627 0 12-5.373 12-12 0-6.628-5.373-12-12-12z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" \/><\/svg><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"mailto:?body=https%3A%2F%2Fmetropolismag.com%2Fprojects%2Fuw-data-centers-student%2F&#038;subject=%3Cstrong%3EAn+Online+World+That+Doesn%E2%80%99t+Destroy+the+Real+One%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3E\" target=\"_blank\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M12 12.713l-11.985-9.713h23.97l-11.985 9.713zm0 2.574l-12-9.725v15.438h24v-15.438l-12 9.725z\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column empty-header-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group none\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"size-regular\">Inviting as visions of the metaverse can be\u2014a 3D stroll through Barcelona, avatars kissing, selling your side-hustle NFTs for mad Bitcoin\u2014the real-world price of virtuality is alarmingly high and climbing. Nothing \u201cinternet\u201d happens without megatons of hardware, those hot racks of servers in highly secured data centers (DCs) that sprawl in the most unimaginative way across hectares of former farmland. Humans have built more than seven million DCs (around 3,000 in the United States, which has the most) in varying shapes and sizes, but have largely failed to limit the carbon emissions embodied in their building materials and released to generate the enormous amount of electricity necessary to power and cool these structures daily. According to University of Washington (UW) construction management professor Dr. Hyun Woo \u201cChris\u201d Lee, the entire DC industry accounts for roughly 2 percent of the world\u2019s annual carbon emissions, and in the United States alone, the facilities use as much energy each year as the entire state of California.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">\u201cDemand is spiking and it\u2019s getting worse,\u201d says Lee. \u201cIt\u2019s time for us to take action.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\" style=\"object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1294\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Phoenix.jpg\" alt=\"a rendering of a boxy data center in the arizona desert to be built partially underground\" class=\"wp-image-92525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Phoenix.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Phoenix-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Phoenix-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Phoenix-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Phoenix-1536x994.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption>PHOENIX:\nDetermined to find low-carbon ways to cool their data center (DC) in a hot, drought-ridden climate,\na team of design students tasked with envisioning a DC for Phoenix, Arizona, decided to use the site\u2019s clay-rich soil for rammed-earth foundation floors and walls. By situating the DC partly underground, they reduced the need\nfor cooling power. Solar panels mounted on a parasol roof serve both as a heat shield and as a renewable energy source for the center\u2019s office space. COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON COLLEGE OF BUILT ENVIRONMENTS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">Drs. Julie Kriegh (lead instructor) and Chris Lee with Jan Whittington, <a href=\"https:\/\/be.uw.edu\/\">UW College of Built Environments<\/a> colleagues, spent 2020 doing just that, leading a multidisciplinary studio that challenged architecture students from UW, the University of Arizona, and the University of Pennsylvania to reimagine the modern data center, from design and material use to the role DCs play in our communities, all with the intent of getting to net zero any way they could. Google sponsored the course, offering funding and visiting advisors, and Microsoft hosted a kick-off workshop and sent DC experts to review the students\u2019 work as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">\u201cWe were looking for ways to turn a problem into a solution,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kriegharchitects.com\/\">Kriegh<\/a>, an architect and UW affiliate professor, who brought Passive House experience and an expertise in sustainability tipping points to the class. \u201cThese companies are so large and data center growth is so rapid, they can drive the market with demand for lower-carbon materials,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">The students broke up into six teams based on different climate geographies and set about calculating the impact of lower-carbon materials like recycled steel or alternatives to traditional concrete. And because data centers tend to be gutted every decade as server and microchip technology progresses, they experimented with designs that were modular and reusable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\" style=\"object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1294\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Detroit.jpg\" alt=\"rendering of a data center built into a park in Detroit\" class=\"wp-image-92526\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Detroit.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Detroit-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Detroit-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Detroit-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Detroit-1536x994.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption>DETROIT:\nStudents envisioned a hyper-scale data center for downtown Detroit with IT equipment and server cabinets incorporated into prefabricated mass timber modules. Green landscaping elements and rainwater catchment systems connect the center to nearby Hart Plaza while reducing runoff to the adjacent Detroit River. In addition to servers, the students created space for tech workers and the community at large in the form of a technology museum and learning center. COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON COLLEGE OF BUILT ENVIRONMENTS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">Valarie Milbrath was a UW senior double-majoring in architectural design and construction management on the Phoenix team. She says traditional DCs look \u201clike Costco but bigger.\u201d She got excited when her team started pondering the aesthetic and structural potential of rammed earth sourced on-site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">\u201cIf you\u2019re going to excavate dirt to build walls, you have a hole in the ground, so we realized we could just be in the hole,\u201d she says. \u201cThe less surface area you have exposed to 100-degree weather in a place like Phoenix, the less heat you take in.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">Milbrath\u2019s team took a stab at lowering operational carbon emissions by topping off their structure with a wing of solar panels to power an admin area.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">\u201cThe design students would say, \u2018What would happen if we did <em>this<\/em>?\u2019\u201d Milbrath says. \u201cI\u2019d plug in my equations and say, \u2018Here\u2019s the difference. Go forth!\u2019\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">Other teams took on the challenge to design small \u201cedge cloud\u201d DCs that could be part of urban life in city centers like Seattle, Detroit, and New York. They imagined more vertical structures that used the waste heat from servers to do things like warm a public greenhouse. Their ideas were compiled in a final report (with Kriegh as the lead author) that went back to Google and Microsoft.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">The world\u2019s tech companies are not impervious to lower-carbon practices and sometimes situate new DCs next to renewable energy sources. More than 370 data centers around the globe are LEED-certified (often for operations), including an Apple facility in Guian, China. But that number still represents only a fraction of the global tech construction boom.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">Meanwhile, the industry has a brand-new employee: Milbrath went to work for the builder Mortenson\u2019s DC group right after she graduated from UW. \u201cI hear rumors that people are considering low-carbon concrete for the next job,\u201d she says. \u201cI have some hope.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\" style=\"object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1294\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Seattle-1.jpg\" alt=\"rendering of a rooftop garden on a seattle data center tower.\" class=\"wp-image-92527\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Seattle-1.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Seattle-1-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Seattle-1-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Seattle-1-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Seattle-1-1536x994.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption>SEATTLE:\nA Seattle-based team of students designing lower-carbon server farms reimagined the shape and maintenance of server racks, finding that they could fit three times as many servers in a circular building that stretched upward. Drones would\nbe used to maintain out-of-reach equipment. The spiral design promotes natural ventilation and\nthe movement of cooling water collected from a multilevel public garden on the roof. COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON COLLEGE OF BUILT ENVIRONMENTS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"comment size-regular\">Would you like to comment on this article? Send your thoughts to: <a href=\"mailto:comments@metropolismag.com\">comments@metropolismag.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"tag-cloud\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/tag\/audrey-gray\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Audrey Gray<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/tag\/data-centers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Data Centers<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/tag\/metaverse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Metaverse<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/tag\/university-of-washington\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">University of Washington<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n<ul class=\"tag-cloud\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/topics\/architecture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Architecture<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/topics\/cities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Cities<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"post-cards__wrapper is-condensed-default columns-3 single-row\" data-type=\"metro_viewpoint metro_profile metro_project metro_product\" data-amount=\"3\" ><h3 class=\"section-title\">Recent<\/h3><ul><li class=\"card__metro_product\"><div class=\"post-cards__image\"><a class=\"post-cards__link\" href=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/products\/why-interface-wants-to-phase-out-carbon-offsets\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/2021CP09-22339-copy-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" style=\"object-position: 50% 50%;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/2021CP09-22339-copy-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/2021CP09-22339-copy-300x169.jpg 300w, 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Station.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three groups of student designers took on a near-impossible challenge: low-carbon server farms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1080,"featured_media":92524,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"featured_image_focal_point":[],"legacy_WP_ID":0},"tags":[2126,2128,1994,2127],"metro_tax_domain":[10,7],"metro_tax_topic":[13,16],"metro_tax_program":[],"metro_issue":[2064],"internal_flag":[],"class_list":["post-92522","metro_project","type-metro_project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-audrey-gray","tag-data-centers","tag-metaverse","tag-university-of-washington","metro_tax_domain-infrastructure","metro_tax_domain-student","metro_tax_topic-architecture","metro_tax_topic-cities","metro_issue-jan-feb-2022"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>An 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