& Construction
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Integrated BIM tools, including Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D
& Manufacturing
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Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
The digitalization strategy designed and implemented by Start Campus and Autodesk covers the entire life cycle of Data Centers, incorporating project coordination tools such as BIM Collaborate Pro, as well as Revit, Navisworks, Forma, Infraworks, Tandem and, finally, the Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) for cloud data integration and collaborative work.
The Data Center market is booming in Europe, but it also faces some challenges such as falling latency rates, energy constraints, climate regulations and large-scale demand, straining the capacities of existing facilities.
Faced with this scenario, Start Campus identified a set of benefits in Portugal for developing a macro data center, taking advantage of the abundant renewable energy resource of the Iberian Peninsula that provides a strong competitive advantage compared to other markets in terms of cost of energy and access to resources. They also identified Portugal as a singular, a geographical location that allows them to open up to Europe, America, and Africa concerning of connectivity.
Portugal has a country strategy to encourage innovation and investment, while ensuring security and confidentiality in areas as sensitive as the management of customer information.
The macro data center with a capacity of 1.2 GW located 90km from Lisbon, specifically in the municipality of Sines, is already partially operational with a first building called SIN01 housing 29 MW. In addition, a second structure SIN02 for 180 MW of data is already being built, which should be completed in 2026. Subsequently, another five buildings will be built until the complex is finished. The campus is Europe’s largest and most sustainable data center infrastructure as of today.
The project is strategically aligned with key European sustainability initiatives, which form its core focus. Notable aspects include the development of carbon net-zero buildings and a commitment to achieving water usage effectiveness (WUE) with a target of zero.
Another challenge faced by these types of facilities is the energy expenditure dedicated to cooling. To solve this, Start Campus ins using an innovative seawater cooling solution from a decommissioned power plant's infrastructure, optimizing energy efficiency and sustainability. Once fully operational, this solution will mean the whole campus has a WUE rating of 0 – as we will be using seawater to cool the servers, and then return the water to the ocean in an environmentally safe and effective manner. Currently, the SINES DC project has a power usage efficiency (PUE) of 1.1 and a water usage efficiency (WUE) of 0 thanks to the various green technologies implemented.
--—Juliana A. Mizumoto, PhD Product Solution Manager, Start Campus
To develop an engineering project of such complexity and magnitude as SINES DC at Star Campus, they have opted to standardize the design, construction and operation methodology, actively involving themselves in the implementation of digital tools and the training of internal and external collaborators, including design studios or construction companies.
The investment in Autodesk solutions has facilitated this process, by centralizing all the information in a platform designed specifically for the AEC sector, such as the Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) and BIM Collaborate Pro, where the exchange is fluid, without barriers, and based on models and documents. This approach guarantees greater control over the entire process, by creating a single source of information hosted in the cloud and accessible to everyone, at any time and place.
In this sense, for the Start Campus team, having the ACC allows them to think about the next stages of construction of the SINES DC, establishing standardized workflows, design protocols, construction processes and established channels for communication.
In the initial stages, Forma software was used for the most conceptual designs and the first checks; in the later phases, Revit was used in the development of models at a basic and executive level. Navisworks was implemented for model exchange with external agents and for collision detection. Infraworks facilitated to develop and support urban analysis.
In the construction phase, Autodesk Docs and the Build platform have been indispensable in the management and monitoring of construction documents. For the control of the operation, the Tandem software was defined for the creation of digital twins, used to facilitate monitoringthe operation of the facilities.
In short, the experience of Start Campus demonstrates the benefits of establishing a standardization of the design, construction, and operation methodology of all the processes of its projects, especially when these involve countless internal and external actors developing advanced engineering projects such as the Sines DC Data Centers.