Apr 28 2015
QTS Realty Trust, one of the nation's largest and fastest-growing providers of data center facilities and cloud services, and a leader in security and compliance, has achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for Phase 1 of its Dallas-Fort Worth mega data center that opened October 2014. QTS Dallas-Fort Worth joins QTS' Richmond and Atlanta-Metro campuses as achieving green-building excellence.
QTS transformed the 700,000 square foot former semiconductor manufacturing facility, with a keen focus on sustainable issues including water reduction, the use of low-emitting materials like environmentally-friendly paints, sealants and flooring, improving energy performance for lighting, HVAC and other equipment and appliances. QTS recovered over 4.7 million pounds of materials during construction and used recycled and regional materials where possible.
QTS Dallas-Fort Worth is powered by a QTS owned on-site 140MVA dual-fed substation, providing reliable, uninterrupted power and high-density capability. Air- and water-cooled chillers housed in a central utility building add increased redundancy and energy efficiency throughout the facility.
"Securing LEED Gold certification for our Dallas-Fort Worth data center is a significant achievement, and one that could not have been attained without QTS' top-down approach to environmental stewardship," said Travis Wright, Site Director – QTS. "We are committed to increasing sustainability and incorporating green initiatives not only during construction, but throughout our operation process."
The LEED® Green Building Rating System™ is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED certifications are based on a point system, and the new data center's design innovations and sustainable features achieved 70 points – qualifying it for Gold. Members of the U.S. Green Building Council, representing all segments of the building industry, developed LEED and continue to contribute to its evolution.
The QTS Dallas-Fort Worth data center is part of a 40-acre campus with the capacity to increase by 600,000 square feet for a total of 1.3 million.The purpose-built facility is structurally reinforced and built with 90' subterranean concrete piers that isolate the building from movement. In addition, the facility's robust, diverse fiber network connections allow QTS to provide carrier-neutral connectivity with maximum flexibility, providing customer access to the area's numerous network providers.