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Delta Dental Data Center
One key aspect of Kahn’s renovation and expansion of Delta Dental’s corporate campus concerns the removal of its data center from the lower level of the existing structure into a separate building of its own. But this is no ordinary building. Variously described by Delta Dental and Kahn team members as a “semi-bunker,” a “fail-safe room,” and an “above-ground fortress,” the new Data Center houses Delta Dental’s most crucial computerized information – the “life blood” of its operations. Constructed with reinforced concrete walls and roof, this hardened structure is designed to withstand all manner of weather, including an F2 tornado. more...
The Data Center is Certified “Tier III a” (on a scale of IV) by the Uptime Institute. “III” concerns its design resiliency; if one part fails, another keeps the system going. The “a” designation relates to its level of maintainability, or the extent to which any single component works independently or can be removed from service without compromising the entire system. For the Data Center to operate as an effective disaster recovery unit, therefore – creating systems bypasses and ensuring continuous data function – all operations must, among other things, maintain an “n plus one redundancy” configuration, which means that for every vital piece of equipment – a pump, a generator – one spare part must always be working or available. (If 10 air conditioners are prescribed, for instance, 11 are employed). Nestled into the back of the site, this remote, yet still visible, structure employs the same palette of materials as the other campus buildings, including matching brick, with flourishes of limestone. It has no windows or glass, employs just one entrance, and contains double-reinforced alternate corridors where air can be directed out of harm’s way in the unlikely event of a fire or other emergency.
Highlighted Delta Dental projects:
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