Information Technology

The National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL), on Boston University’s Medical Campus, is maximizing secure wireless networks and private cloud computing to improve safety, operational efficiency, and energy consumption. The seven-story building—which contains BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4 facilities—features a dedicated data center, virtualized servers, extensive use of thin clients, and a secure wireless network providing voice-over-IP (VoIP) communications that cover more than 90 percent of the interior.

Ericsson is planning to build a $1.3 billion R&D center in Montreal. Located in the suburb of Vaudreuil-Dorion, the 430,560-sf engineering facility will support product development and testing as well as housing Ericsson’s internal IT infrastructure. Occupancy is expected in 2015. Ericsson is a global manufacturer of telecommunications equipment and networks based in Sweden.

The University of Massachusetts, Suffolk Construction Company, and Architectural Resources Cambridge approached the UMass Medical School's Albert Sherman Center with three major goals in mind: to visualize the building using 3-D Virtual Design and Construction, manage construction through comprehensive Building Information Modeling, and collect that data in a usable format to better maintain and operate the building in the future.

The average lifespan of a building is 60 years, but the forces that drive the workplace may change as often as every six months. The challenge, whether for new construction or renovation, is to design a workplace that will adapt to a fluctuating timetable of changes in technology, business goals, and the workforce. The keys to success are a flexible workplace and a strong change management process.

Ohio State University is creating three-dimensional models of its existing buildings as part of a comprehensive plan to address space management needs and to make informed decisions regarding renovation, construction, and maintenance projects.

Construction began in August of 2011 on the $168 million Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke. Representing a partnership of MIT, Harvard, Boston University, Northeastern University, and the University of Massachusetts system, the two-story, 90,000-sf complex is strategically sited to benefit from hydroelectric power resources and lower electricity costs. The project will support the computational research needs of the five institutions.

Hewlett-Packard Co. opened a new 360,000-sf data center in February of 2010. Located in Wynyard in the United Kingdom, the facility is cooled by wind and uses approximately 40 percent less energy than a conventional data center.

IBM opened its new data center in February of 2010 in Research Triangle Park, N.C.  The 100,000-sf facility supports cloud computing and operates on half the energy required for a conventional data center. The facility features reduced technology infrastructure costs while delivering improved quality and speed of services. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

IBM initiated construction in December of 2009 on a $57 million data center in Manukau City, New Zealand. Located in the Highbrook Business Park in East Tamaki, the 56,000-sf facility will feature energy efficient technologies and systems. The high reliability data center will support cloud computing. Completion is expected in late 2010.

Syracuse University opened the $12.4 million Green Data Center in Syracuse, N.Y., in December of 2009. Created in partnership with IBM and the state of New York, the 12,000-sf facility is comprised of 6,000 sf of infrastructure space and 6,000 sf of raised-floor data center space. The Green Data Center features energy-efficient IBM servers and an on-site power generation system for electricity, heating, and cooling.

Dell has implemented strategies to reduce energy consumption that will result in $5.8 million in annual savings. By year-end 2009, the company will have cut global energy consumption by 48 million kilowatt hours per year.

Construction of the $38-million WSU Vancouver Applied Technology Classroom Building will begin this year.

The University of Illinois broke ground on the $72.5 million Petascale Computing Facility at the National Center for Super Computing Applications in Urbana-Champaign in November of 2008. The 95,000-sf Blue Waters Data Processing Center will include a command center, offices, loading docks, and a system administration center. A 20,000-sf water-cooled machine room with a six-foot raised floor will hold the IBM Blue Waters supercomputer and other systems.

Hewlett-Packard will build a 150,000-sf technical support center in Conway, Ark. Site work will begin for the $30 million project in August of 2008. The general contractor is Conway Development Corp. LEED certification for sustainable design will be sought for the facility.

The University of Melbourne is planning to construct the $100 million Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative Centre in the University’s Parkville Precinct in Melbourne, Australia. The facility will support high performance computing for life sciences research on diseases including cancer, influenza, and brain disorders by using large databases of genetic information. The facility will partner on research initiatives with the San Diego Supercomputer Center of the University of California, San Diego.