Power and Security Measures Keep Data Center Up, Up and Away from Harm
At First National Bank's Technology Center in Omaha, Neb., continuous uptime is king. The 195,000-sf facility houses traditional banking operations such as check and invoice processing. It also authorizes transactions for, and prints, credit cards and is home to a cash vault, mainframe and server computers, network equipment, and machines that run the bank's automated teller network. Time lost to a shutdown in operations can quickly translate into substantial losses in revenue.

More than 30 years after the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) first called on them to power the Gemini and Apollo space missions, fuel cells are beginning to draw more attention as a viable alternative energy source. Though still expensive when compared to power available from local utilities, the reliability of fuel cells and their increasing ability to handle large electrical loads makes them attractive--especially for companies that demand clean, uninterruptible electricity.

Pharmaceutical Giant Shifts FM Focus to Customer Productivity
Bristol-Myers Squibb is attacking facilities spending by focusing on customer productivity, an approach that overcomes the limitations of the cost-per-sf metric as a reflection of financial effectiveness. The new perspective has been the catalyst for several innovative global programs that will fine-tune supply-chain operations to produce widespread efficiencies and savings.

Mount Holyoke College
The Pratt & Hammond Music Building at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass., recently underwent a $6.2-million, 28,560-sf expansion and renovation. The project is a symbol of the College's commitment to placing the arts at the center of life on campus.

ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
The merger of two petrochemical giants, Exxon and Mobil, led to the commissioning of a high-level study on the impacts to existing facilities at the Exxon Upstream Research facilities in Houston and Friendswood.

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
This ten-level building on the north campus of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas includes seven levels of research and ambulatory clinic floors, two levels of parking below grade and one level of parking at grade.