Building committee meets to discuss the new Data Center on the Max Planck Campus Martinsried
The location and sustainability concept of the new Data Center as part of the development plan
The planned Data Center on the Martinsried campus was presented to the Planegg municipal building committee on 10 July. Christoph Nagel-Hirschauer, architect and project manager for the Max Planck Society, outlined the needs and objectives of the Data Center project, as well as plans for the center‘s location and sustainability concept. During the past few months, many issues relating to the technology and implementation of the project have been discussed and clarified with the municipality. The committee thus now unanimously approved the suggested construction concept. This formal step marks the start of the procedure for a project-related development plan, in which all details relating to building law will be discussed and agreed with the municipality.
New location on existing site
The original plan was to build the Data Center on the site of the Institutes' former greenhouses. However, this would have placed the building in the existing green belt on the edge of the Max Planck campus. The concept was therefore revised: The area of the Institute’s parking deck is now seen as the most suitable site for the new Data Center.
“Observations showed that the capacity of existing parking areas far exceeds the demand for spaces, so that a reduction in parking spaces should not pose problems for the employees”, explains Nagel-Hirschauer. “Furthermore, parking space requirements and the parking situation in general will be reviewed and reorganized as part of the wider campus development.” Depending on which design is ultimately chosen in the planning competition for the new Max Planck Campus, temporary parking areas may be required, or the needed, permanent parking facilities could already be built during the first construction phase. Naturally, this will all be done in close coordination with the local municipality.
Building the Data Center on the site of the current parking deck will avoid paving over additional green space. The remains of the greenhouse on the eastern edge of the site will make way for a new green space that strengthens the broader green corridor. The site’s access is provided from the north via Klopferspitz. The planned Data Center, including ancillary facilities and paved areas, corresponds to the area of the existing parking deck. Coming from Würmtalstrasse, the building would remain largely hidden behind the tall trees.
Green architecture and efficient technology
The new Data Center will be designed to blend into its surroundings and contribute to the overarching goal of a sustainable, livable campus. To achieve this, the entire building will be wrapped in a green facade from the second floor upwards. This will reduce heat buildup, filter fine dust and provide a habitat for birds and insects. The partially extensively greened roof will buffer rainwater and further improve the local microclimate.
From a technical perspective, the focus is on energy-efficient server hardware systems and sophisticated temperature management for cooling, along with the use of waste heat to supply the future campus buildings or external recipients. All electricity for the Data Center will come from certified, CO₂-neutral sources.
A joint step into the digital future
The formal development process for the new Data Center on the Campus Martinsried can now begin following the decision to draw up the plan. Representatives of the local municipality, the two Max Planck Institutes, the construction department of the Max Planck Society and the Max Planck Computing & Data Facility (MPCDF), the operator of the Data Center, are working closely together on the project. Their aim is to create a new computing center that will strengthen research and scientific excellence across the Max Planck Society and, in particular, at the Martinsried site. At the same time, everyone involved is committed to ensuring the project balances the interests of people and nature over the long term.
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Why a new Data Center?
Modern research generates huge volumes of data, making powerful computers and high computing capacity essential in almost all scientific disciplines. Complex data analyses and simulations are also routine at the two Max Planck Institutes on the Campus Martinsried, be it in analyzing genetic sequences and molecular structures, evaluating high-resolution image data, or simulating biological processes. A joint Data Center for all research institutes of the Max Planck Society will create an optimal infrastructure and offers many advantages: As an expansion and safeguard of existing computing capacities on the Garching campus, it will speed up calculations, improve collaboration and enable data-intensive analyses at the highest level.