Designed to support the consolidation of Emerson’s global IT network –more than 100 data centers worldwide – into just four facilities, the Emerson Global Data Center leverages innovative architectural attributes and IT infrastructure technologies to optimize the efficiency of IT operations. Since completion, the facility has evolved into an industry reference point receiving national attention for its approach to sustainable data center design and for demonstrating that significant energy savings – up to 31 percent annually over a traditional enterprise data center – can be achieved without impacting the continuity requirements of a mission-critical global facility.

The data center is fully equipped with a host of unique energy-saving attributes, including:

• A 7,800-square-foot rooftop solar array containing more than 550 solar panels, capable of generating 100kW of power.
• Roof-mounted condensers that reduced the project’s footprint by more than 15,000 sq. ft.
• An efficient building design that enabled piping quantities to be reduced by 75 percent – more than 2.5 miles of copper piping.
• Enhanced natural lighting that directs sunlight into the building’s core.

Other actions also were taken to promote best practices that characterize excellence in sustainable building design and promote the environmental welfare of the St. Louis community. Nearly 20 percent of materials used to assemble the building were comprised of locally-refined, post-consumer materials, minimizing the energy required to transport them to the construction site. In addition, 80 percent of waste resulting from the construction was diverted from landfills and recycled locally to further minimize project's carbon footprint.

Thanks to additional innovation credits earned during the evaluation process and an increased estimated energy savings of 31 percent compared to conventional data centers, the data center was awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, making Emerson's St. Louis data center the first in the Midwest to earn the rigorous accreditation.

The data center and its successful efficiency initiatives have received extensive media coverage as well as a number of industry awards. Articles praising the project have appeared in a number of local and national business publications—including a feature in The Wall Street Journal—as well as key IT industry blogs and Web sites. Three cover stories also appeared in widely read data center trade publications, and requests for interviews and photos continue to come in from across the country. This coverage has drawn the attention of visitors from around the world. Representatives from more than 100 companies and visitors from Canada, China, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands and South Africa have toured the facility.

In February 2010, Emerson’s data center project was honored with a Beyond Green Award on from the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council—alongside the Empire State Building renovation—and was the only project in the Midwest to be recognized. In January 2011, Todd Finders, Emerson’s director of global data center services, was named Facility Executive of the Year by “Today’s Facility Manager” for his contributions to the project.