FACILITIES noise
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http://www.dcseurope.info/n/pxfs
Sounding out on data centre noise
In an increasingly digital world, data centres form the foundation of modern business. As the trend for “cloud computing” continues to drive an increase in online activity, Calum Forsyth, CEO of IAC Acoustics, considers the important role played by data centres in managing this activity and the significant health and reputational challenge that noise control poses in these buildings.
SINCE THE CREATION OF the World Wide Web, the world has become heavily dependent on technology and online processes, with internet-based communication and financial transactions now playing a major role in most industries.
The UK has become one of Europe’s financial hotspots and – due to its geographical location – a gateway for transatlantic online traffic. More than 200 data centres have been built across the country to house and manage this online activity and, as the digitisation of the modern working world continues, this number is set to rise. Architects and building managers are under pressure to ensure that, once constructed, these data centres do not affect the quality of life of the people working in or living close to them. Noise is a key consideration.
Data centres house a vast number of technological apparatus and it is not just the individual computers that process the data that emit loud noises. The larger-scale equipment that is used to regulate the internal environment and ensure optimum running performance also raises the decibel levels, such as industrial-sized cooling fans that mitigate
the heat emitted from the machines, and alarm sensors that flag up system failures. With a single server capable of emitting as much as 70dB, the reality of how loud data centres can become is clear.
The technology sector is already subject to specific regulation to manage this noise, such as the EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres. With the prospect of more data centres being built, and in closer proximity to residential areas, incorporating engineered noise control solutions into the fabric of these buildings is vital
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www.dcseurope.info I February 2014
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