Urbacon Urbacon and the Advent of the Greener Data Centre FIND OUT MORE >>

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1 750 Lake Shore Blvd. East, Toronto, Ontario, M4M 3M3 Tel: Urbacon.net Powered by: Urbacon Urbacon and the Advent of the FIND OUT MORE >>

2 Urbacon Urbacon and the Advent of the Greener Data Centre Canadian design group Urbacon focuses on a more sustainable way to build some of North America s most power-hungry structures Written by: Sasha Orman Produced by: Rich Gentile 2 3

3 F ew structures are as integral to today s modern conveniences as the data centre. Responsible for everything from our bank account information to our social media presence, the servers held within these structures keep our whole lives afloat. But there s a cost that comes with all of that convenience: the power that s required to keep those data centres running is enormous. In September, the New York Times explored the business of data centres and found that these facilities use roughly 10 billion watts each year. But some businesses are dedicated to finding a better way to build data centres a way that supplies the information needed while still conserving energy. Toronto-based construction and real estate development company Urbacon is one of those businesses, and is hard at work finding ways to elevate the ambitions of green building in North America. A New Facet of Industry We started as an interiors 4 5

4 Supplier Profile CONDRAIN GROUP Founded in 1954, Condrain has dictated the need for progressive development of our roads, highways, towns and cities due to a growing population. Condrain has never looked back initially focusing on building drains and construction of concrete floors. The company quickly expanded into the fields of municipal sewers and watermains and land development servicing. Innovative ideas, leading edge technology and a firm commitment to solid workmanship enabled Condrain to flourish in an ever changing environment. With $350 to $400 million in business each year, Condrain Group today is one of Canada s largest earthworks, water main, sewer and road building contractors. company in 1984 and rapidly evolved into a premier design builder and property developer, says John Cooper, Director of Business Development for Urbacon. Over the years, new opportunities in construction and design build have presented themselves including one very specialized facet of the construction industry, the design and construction of data centres. Urbacon has been building and designing data centres since 1990, and as one of the first companies to develop specialized power management expertise. It continues to lead the way in promoting Its sister companies in the industry offer services such as the production of aggregate materials, lighting, valves and fittings, installation of gas and power lines, fibre optic cables, and street lighting; construction of residential, commercial, and industrial buildings; and development of land for entire communities. The relationships with these other companies allow Condrain to help clients get their projects completed by being fully integrated. Website: Visit us online: 7

5 Duron Ontario Ltd. is proud to be working with Urbacon at 222 Jarvis Street Congratulations To all on a job well done! 1860 Shawson Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L4W 1R7 Phone: Fax: innovative power and communication systems. Urbacon was the first company in North America, to complete an installation of Kyoto Cooling. Using this revolutionary technology, Urbacon has designed, constructed and delivered data centre facilities that operate at mechanical PUEs in the sub 1.08 range. One of the most recent opportunities for Urbacon in this area is the design and construction of Bell s state of the art data centre in the National Capital Region. This project is very significant, notes Cooper, because the Bell Data Centre was built to meet LEED Gold standards, is Uptime Tier III certified, and will be in the top 2 per cent of data centres for the most efficient use of power and will be amongst the greenist of data centres in North America once completed. Bell and Urbacon were recently awarded the 2012 Uptime Green Enterprise IT award for facility design innovation. The data centre s cutting-edge design combines green architectural approaches with energy-efficient operational features, resulting in industry-leading power usage effectiveness (PUE) rating of The data centre s energy efficiency will cut typical carbon dioxide emissions by 12,000 tons, and total annual power savings are estimated at 17 million kilowatt hours enough to power more than 1,400 homes. Other green technologies include: A rainwater collection system that will save 18 million gallons of water a year An innovative passive free air cooling 222 Jarvis Interior Rendering 9

6 Visit us online at landscapefxservices.com Proud suppliers of Urbacon at the MTO Downsview complex. BMW HQ Exterior delivers significant energy savings over traditional designs A highly efficient, medium voltage, power distribution system that requires less transformations, and requires 26 fewer tons of copper to implement The Bell data centre also incorporates Kyoto Cooling technology. Kyoto Cooling delivers modular cooling and energy savings of up to 85 per cent over other designs, says Cooper and significantly reduces the maintenance and operational expenses of the facility. Retrofitting the Past for a Greener Tomorrow Data centres may be the hot topic right now, but they aren t Urbacon s only focus the company has been engaged in several greenminded development ventures over the years including infrastructure projects, high profile LEED projects like the Canadian BMW Head Office, and most recently the retrofitting work at 222 Jarvis St. 222 Jarvis is a landmark building in Toronto, and the Government of Ontario s main objective is to show that older buildings can be retrofitted to 11

7 STATISTICS significantly reduce their carbon footprint, says Rick Spironello, Project Manager. It is a nine story, 630,000 square foot building targeting LEED gold. Retrofitting an existing building is a tricky process, especially at 222 Jarvis St., a project considered one of the largest retrofitting projects in North America to date. We are completely upgrading the electrical and mechanical systems, says Spironello. Key to improving the building s energy performance is the cladding of the concrete walls with an insulating skin. The original single glazed windows were also replaced. Other green initiatives include the installation of a 500 sq ft skylight that will allow natural light to penetrate the centre of the building, occupancy sensors for lighting conservation, rainwater harvesting, diversion of materials from landfills, and even allocated bicycle storage to encourage employees to use alternative transportation. A Responsibility to the Environment What draws Urbacon toward these types of projects? Sustainability is a fundamental part of Urbacon s culture. We actively promote sustainable building practices and energy efficient design as core principles on every project, and we are proud to work with companies with similar values. Marco Mancini, President and CEO, Urbacon. As the digital age progresses, data centre growth shows no sign of slowing down meaning that Urbacon will have no shortage of work to stay busy with in the years ahead. As long as the company s passion for more social causes stays unwavering, data centres have a brighter and greener future ahead. Industry: Commercial construction and real estate development Founded: 1984 Headquarters: Toronto, Ontario Key People/Titles: Marco Mancini, President & CEO Ron Carinci, COO Employees: 150 Website: Visit us online: 13