Emerson Global Data Center Earns LEED, Gold Beyond Green Award
Emerson’s state-of-the-art, energy-efficient Global Data Center in St. Louis, Mo., has earned two high-profile industry recognitions for environmental responsibility: LEED® Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and a 2009 Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building Award from the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council.
The 35,000-square-foot Emerson Global Data Center, located on the company’s headquarters campus, supports the company's worldwide manufacturing and engineering operations. The data center is 31 percent more energy efficient than traditional data centers and is home to Missouri’s largest solar array – a 7,800-square-foot rooftop array of more than 550 solar panels.
“The LEED Gold certification – a rare designation for a data center – is a significant validation of Emerson’s commitment to energy efficiency and environmental responsibility,” said Emerson Chair, Chief Executive Officer, and President David N. Farr. “The certification, along with the Beyond Green honor, recognizes Emerson’s innovative approach and efficient technologies for managing one of the most vexing problems facing data center managers – energy consumption.”
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute, is the nation’s pre-eminent program for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. Emerson earned 40 out of a possible 51 points to receive LEED Gold certification.
The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council bestowed a Beyond Green honor on the Emerson Global Data Center in the “Innovative Solution for a Niche Market Application” category. This award recognizes initiatives that shape, inform, and catalyze the high-performance building market, as well as the real-world application of high-performance design and construction practices.
Emerson invested $50 million in the Global Data Center and achieved maximum energy efficiency by implementing the latest efficient technologies, precision cooling products, and recommended efficiency strategies from its Emerson Network Power business.
Additionally, construction of the data center was completed with environmental responsibility in mind. More than 80 percent of the construction waste generated was diverted from landfills through recycling, and innovative design features enabled the company to save more than 2.5 miles of copper piping, minimizing the use of excess materials.
St. Louis-based Fox Architects partnered with Emerson on the design of the data center and managed the company’s application for the LEED Gold designation.