idGroup: Integrated achitectural and engineering design services for data centers.

Why idGroup?

The essence of the integrated design process is the commitment to bring together architects and engineers at the start of each project.  Integrating diverse points of view is particularly vital when designing data centers and other technologically sophisticated buildings, and begins with planning at the earliest stage of the work.  It results in innovative (not cookie-cutter) design solutions that benefit our clients in quality, cost and schedule.

At the core of our philosophy and design methodology is the commitment that for each project we respond to the unique requirements with targeted solutions.  The process is supported by the latest technology available in the industry, including the Revit family of programs to provide the most advanced 3D rendering and the most symmetrically accurate drawings.  We understand that great projects require a great relationship with our clients.  To this end, our dedicated project managers provide the leadership needed to meet the common goals.  It is one of the many reasons why our clients come back to us again and again.

This delivery methodology has proven particularly successful in the design of highly technical facilities.  As a result, idGroup has become a leader in data center design. In this market, idGroup focuses on the following type of projects:

• Data Center Planning
• Greenfield Data Centers
• High Density Data Centers
• Research Computing Data Centers
• Data Center Renovations
• Data Center Fitouts
• Critical Power Systems
• Critical Cooling
• Data Center Cooling
• High Density Cooling
• Precision Cooling

Data Center Design

Our commitment to data centers has resulted in our becoming thought leaders in the planning and design of these projects.  The broad range of knowledge in both the latest technologies and those that are most effective means that we quickly bring to the process information that leads to a timely and timeless design approach.

With a team of professional Architects and Engineers dedicated to the design of Data Centers and other Mission Critical facilities, we have been afforded the opportunity to research, practice and actively participate in revolutionary Data Center trends including High Density Cooling, Free Cooling, Hot Aisle/Cold Aisle Containment, and the importance and use of CFD Analyses.

Data Centers

idGroup performs feasibility and due diligence studies and design renovations, fit-outs, expansions, and new buildings. Our concentration is on Data Center design and workplace support spaces for Corporate, Academic/Institutional, Health Care and Public Sector clients.

idGroup has successfully completed Data Center and other Mission Critical projects for clients in North America and the Middle East. Below are just a few examples of these projects:

• L.L. Bean – Stonewood Data Center, Freeport, ME
• Liberty Mutual – New Data Center, Kansas City, MO
• Citizens Bank – Data and Operations Center, East Providence, RI
• Switch & Data – Data Center, North Bergen, NJ
• Harvard University – High Performance Research Computing, Cambridge, MA
• MIT – W91 Data Center, Cambridge, MA
• Brown University – Watson Data Center, Providence, RI
• UCSB – North Hall Data Center, Santa Barbara, CA
• Confidential Client – University Data Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Confidential Client – Data Center, Grafton, MA
• Confidential Client – Data Center, Kingdom of Bahrain
• Genuity – Data Center, Carteret, NJ
• MassPort – Logan Airport Data and Operations Center, Boston, MA
• Thomson Reuters – Data Center, Hazelwood, MO
• Charter One – Operations Center, Cleveland, OH
• Digital Realty Trust – Loudoun County Data Center, Ashburn, VA
• Digital Realty Trust – Data Center, Lithia Springs, GA
• Digital Realty Trust – Data Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Digital Realty Trust – Data Center, Richardson, TX

Featured Project - Switch and Data

Switch and Data, a colocation company, entered a long-term lease for a facility in North Bergen, NJ, to be used as a data center hosting facility. Integrated Design Group, Inc. was hired to renovate the entire 160,000 sf facility to create approximately 90,000 sf of raised floor. The project needed to be phased to meet the client’s market needs, and the layout had to allow for the placement of some computer racks in rows and some in cages. In order to reach Switch and Data’s goals Integrated Design Group, Inc. incorporated innovative design features, as well as a collaborative relationship with the client and municipal agencies to acquire variances to build in specific areas on this very restrictive site.

The project involved the gutting and complete renovation the existing facility, including significant site work to contain infrastructure and two new entry points. The site work is necessitating regulatory negotiations with the authorities in North Bergen as the site includes rights-of-way for overhead utilities and stringent set-back requirements. Because the process takes time, the project was divided into two phases, the first buildable without regulatory changes. The design requires a scalable and modular electrical system. The facility has been designed with a 5,400 ton modular chiller plant.

Clients

Known by the company we keep – our clients hire us again and again. Over the past five years, we have provided data center solutions at more than fifty sites around the globe.

Our clients include:

• American Express
• Boston University
• Bowdoin College
• Brown University
• Digital Realty Trust
• EMC
• Genzyme
• Harvard University
• IDEXX
• J.P. Morgan
• Liberty Mutual
• L.L. Bean
• Massachusetts College of Art
• MassPort
• National Development
• Netezza
• Novartis
• Partners Healthcare
• Qwest
• Rackspace
• RBS/Citizens Bank
• SAVVIS
• Scripps Networks
• State Street Corporation
• Switch & Data
• Thomson Reuters
• TJX
• University of California Santa Barbara

Company

idGroup's Practitioners are committed to unparalleled integrated architectural and engineering design services. The integrated approach saves our clients time and money.

Green IT

Our Commitment to Sustainable Design Practices go beyond the LEED standards. For Data Centers to run efficiently practices such as High Voltage Distribution, Free Cooling, the use of D/C Power, and P.U.E. guidelines are just some of the principles that idGroup’s forward thinking Architects and Engineers are studying and designing.

Since our inception, idGroup has designed many data centers and critical facilities to LEED standards, three of which are currently LEED certified. However, we realize that LEED is simply one of many different criterion to be considered when designing facilities that are known for consuming large amounts of energy. The idGroup team of Architects and Engineers are focused on the latest data center efficiency techniques. We are also active in organizations such as the Green Grid, the Uptime Institute, Silicon Valley Leadership Group and the 7x24 Exchange. We are approved Energy Star vendors who are able to deliver the most energy efficient data centers to our clients.

LEED Certified Data Centers:

• Digital Realty Trust – Loudoun County Data Center – LEED Gold
• Digital Realty Trust – Loudoun County Data Center – LEED Gold
• L.L. Bean – Stonewood Data Center – LEED Silver
• Harvard University – High Performance Research Computing – LEED Gold (Pending project completion).

Newsworthy

idGroup's practitioners are thought leaders of mission critical design.  Read about us in the press, and follow us on Twitter.