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Fannie Mae Opens Green Data Center
Fannie Mae's new 247,000 square foot data center in suburban Maryland has become the first data center facility to earn a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Here's a summary of some of the steps Fannie Mae took to make the facility as energy efficient as possible:
The site is landscaped with native and drought-tolerant plants to conserve water. The irrigation design uses water from captured rain and evaporator cooling towers, saving an estimated 13,000 gallons of municipal water per day. To limit vehicular traffic to the Center, Fannie Mae provides a shuttle service from its Washington, DC, headquarters connecting employees to the UTC, along with bicycle storage areas and changing rooms, and priority carpool parking. Installation of a synthetic white rubber roof contributes to the reduction of the Heat Island Effect. Other sustainable strategies for the UTC include supplying 100% of the building's electric power from a utility that uses a renewable resource for generating electricity.The huge center will employ 250 workers. Holder Construction was the general contractor, while EYP Mission Critical Facilities was the MEP engineer on the job.
August 02, 2005
Engineering Everquest
Online virtual gaming worlds are getting bigger, with World of Warcraft recently surpassing 3.5 million subscribers. The largest MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) can have half a million subscribers online simultaneously, and that requires some hardcore infrastructure.
In this month's Spectrum Online magazine from the IEEE, David Kushner takes us behind the scenes to see what a virtual world looks like within the data center. Kushner, who profiled the rise and fall of game pioneers Id Software in "Masters of Doom," explores the infrastructure supporting the Sony Online MMORPG Everquest, often jokingly referred to as "Evercrack" for its addictive qualities.
Posted by Rich Miller 
August 02, 2005 | Permalink | Newsletter
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