Design of Modularized Data Center with a Wooden Construction

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the possibility to build a modular data center in wood. The goals is to investigate how to build data centers using building system modules, making it easier to build more flexible data centers and expand the business later on. Investigations have been conducted to find out advantages and disadvantages for using wood in a modularized data center structure. The investigation also includes analysing the moistures effect on the material and if there are any other advantages than environmental benefits in using wood as a building material. A literature study were conducted to examine where research already have been conducted and how those studies can be applicable to this thesis. Although the ICT sector is a rapidly growing industry little research has been published in regards to how to build a data center. Most published information involves electric and cooling, not measurements of the building and how materials is affected by the special climate in a data center. As a complement to the little research interviews were conducted and site visits were made. Interviews were conducted with Hydro66, RISE SICS North, Sunet and Swedish modules, whilst site visits were made at Hydro66, RISE SICS North, Sunet and Facebook. As a result of these studies, limitations were identified with regards to maximum and minimum measurements for the building system and service spaces in a data center. These limitations were used as an input when designing a construction proposal using stated building systems and a design proposal for a data center. During the study, access have been granted to measurements of temperature and humidity for the in- and outgoing air of the Hydro66 data center. These measurements have been analyzed with the facts about HVAC systems and the climates effect on wood, for example in regards to strength and stability. This analysis has shown that more data needs to be collected during the winter and that further analysis needs to be conducted, to beable to draw conclusions if the indoor climate of a data center has an effect on the wooden structure. A design proposal for a data center have been produced with regards to the information gathered by the litterature and empirical studies. The proposal were designed to show how the information could be implemented. The result have increased the understanding on how to build data center buildings in wood and how this type of buildings could be made more flexible towards future changes through modularization.