Social Security Administration National Support Center - Urbana, Maryland

The National Support Center is a purpose-built facility that has served as the Social Security Administration’s primary and largest data center since July 2014. This complex comprises a 2-story office for 160 employees set perpendicularly to a 240,000-square-foot data center that bows slightly in plan. Front and back-of-house functions are relegated to different freestanding volumes, to prevent human intrusion in the computing environment; overall, the highly protected data operation is responsible for delivering monthly benefits to 60 million Americans.

While data centers are synonymous with security, high environmental performance is rarely their priority. Yet the National Support Center is the first building of its type in the GSA inventory to earn LEED Gold certification. A 1-megawatt photovoltaic array occupies six of the site’s 63 acres to produce more than 2 percent of the facility’s annual electricity, and a dual-tank thermal energy storage solution, advanced building controls, and passive solar design lessen dependence on the grid. The two structures beat the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 standard for energy consumption by 41.95 percent and 43 percent.

The project conserves water equally dramatically. Rainwater harvesting and waste reduction eliminated potable water consumption for irrigation, and slashed total water for irrigation by 97.6 percent compared to a mid-summer baseline. Potable water usage in the center itself went down as much as 93.9 percent from the calculated LEED baseline. For balancing maximum performance with aesthetic expression and workplace productivity, jurors applauded the winning team for establishing a new benchmark of excellence for data centers generally. 

Share :