"Data Dome" offers architectural answer to data center challenges

Benefits of the circle
Data Dome's circular architecture does more than allow OHSU to maximize physical space in data center design. Cooling efficiency is a major bonus to circular data centers. Data Center Knowledge reports that OHSU is able to turn the entire facility into a functional cold aisle by directing airflow in a circular direction. Hot air naturally rises to the top of the ceiling-less building and escapes to the exterior of the facility, eliminating the need for air ducts and chillers. A back up evaporative cooling system helps to maintain facility temperatures when natural cooling is insufficient. This configuration will allow Data Dome to cut power use in half compared to similarly sized data centers.

The circular architecture of Data Dome also provides the facility with increased protection from seismic activity, notes the Portland Business Journal. The stability provided by a curved construction protects hardware in the face of earthquakes or tremors that would pose a greater threat to traditionally designed data centers. Data Dome was designed in part as a contingency plan for dealing with earthquake activity. The circular facility will be tasked with hosting OHSU's entire network in case of an emergency, allowing administrators and researchers to access data by way of remote console server solutions. Likewise, the dome-shaped top is designed to shed natural debris that would collect on top of a flat rooftop, such as volcanic debris or snow.

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