The new Tecnopolo in Bologna
The building complex of the former tobacco factory, built in the 1950s and now belonging to the Emilia-Romagna region, will become the headquarters of the new “Tecnopolo” in Bologna. The project, the result of an international competition, plans to demolish the oldest structures, renovate some of the existing ones and construct new buildings with a total area of more than 100 thousand square meters.
The new “Technopolo” will be a center of innovation and experimentation and will host various institutions, research laboratories, the new National Unit of Meteorology and Climatology (Italia Meteo) and the European Center for Medium-Term Meteorological Forecasts, becoming Europe’s research hub for climate change .
Bologna, with Tecnopolo, has been chosen to host one of the largest supercomputers in the world: the new EKMMP data center will support the Center’s activities in the field of global weather forecasting.
The cooling and air conditioning system
The comfort in the offices of EKMMP and the cooling of its Data Center is managed by a single air conditioning system, designed to ensure maximum performance with reduced environmental impact. Specifically, 28 close control units were installed, 2 NX-W heat pumps, 2 NECS-W / Q multi-purpose four-pipe heat pumps, 3 WZ-E air conditioning units designed for air conditioning the offices throughout the year, as well as 9 air-cooled coolers dedicated to cooling the supercomputer.
The cooling units have been specially selected with new generation refrigerant R513A with low GWP (Global Warming Potential) and zero effect on the ozone layer. The central cooling system allows a significant reduction of the building’s overall electrical consumption. In addition, all the different units are managed by ClimaPro, which optimizes the operation of the system.
