Using its rapid deployment data center (RDDC) model, Facebook will build its datacenter facilities based on modular construction methods that will provide two immediate benefits: standardization of design in terms of construction and architecture so new facilities will not have to be designed from scratch; and speed of deployment, according to zdnet.com. As MHProNews.com has learned, the walls will be panelized and fit into modules easily transportable to the site. Borrowing from Ikea’s flat-pack furniture idea for a leaner and faster build, Facebook will ship the chassis,  and the pre-fabricated walls and ceiling will be attached on site, thereby avoiding having to ship empty space.

According to Facebook design engineer, Marco Magarelli, “The modules reduce the generation of on-site waste and the impacts associated with the delivery and staging of individual construction materials common to traditional construction techniques.” The pre-manufactured assemblies will allow for interchangeable components that can be deployed to wherever the next data facility is built. The first attempt of the RDDC model will be a second building at Facebook’s Lulea, Sweden campus. ##

(Image credit: opencompute.org–Facebook’s datacenter campus in Lulea, Sweden)