Facebook’s first North Texas hyper-scaler facility opened in Fort Worth in the spring of 2017. The roughly 150-acre high-tech campus—valued at more than $1 billion—will eventually include five buildings. Facebook’s Fort Worth Data Center is part of its global network of 14 data centers that are already online or under construction. The data centers are a key part of the infrastructure that Facebook relies on to provide apps and services to its more than 2 billion users globally.

Take a visual tour below, and read more about how efficiency and sustainability drive the massive Facebook Fort Worth Data Center here. Photos are by Chad Davis Photography.

Facebook Copyright 2015 Chad Davis Photography for Fort Worth Data Center

The facility was designed by AlfaTech and SP-ARCH.

EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY ARE BUILT INTO THE DESIGN

Facebook’s Fort Worth Data Center is one of the most advanced and energy-efficient data centers in the world, Matt VanderZanden, director of Data Center Site Selection at Facebook, told Dallas Innovates.

The center was developed in an “H” pattern, with two buildings — an administrative suite and a datacenter — connected by a corridor. This design has been incorporated into most of Facebook’s data centers built after the one in Fort Worth, VanderZanden said. The administrative area consists of support functions like security, break rooms and meeting rooms.

The high-tech center features what he calls Facebook’s “hyper-efficient” hardware design — a template the social media company openly shares to drive innovation, efficiency, and sustainability in the data center industry. DPR Construction, the organization behind Facebook’s facility, saw the focus on efficiency as a learning opportunity. Travis Bright, senior project manager at DPR Construction says the collaboration with Facebook gave his team an opportunity to learn new lessons and grow as an industry leader.

Sleek design welcomes Facebook’s employees.

[Photo: ©2018 by Chad Davis Photography/Fort Worth Data Center]

Walls of glass let light pour into the center’s space.

Workers can relax in an outdoor courtyard.

Charging stations are available to employees with electric cars.

THE DATA ROOM

The facility’s data room is protected by sliding glass doors.

Facebook’s Fort Worth data room.

Servers in the Facebook data center in North Fort Worth.

AN AESTHETIC BASED ON LAND AND LOCATION

Facebook’s Fort Worth data center features local artwork throughout its administrative areas. Also on display are furniture and interior design elements inspired by North Texas, from murals to locally sourced wood.

A mural in Facebook’s administrative wing is a tribute to Fort Worth’s history.

The Fort Worth mural runs the length of the hallway.

Fort Worth Data Center includes murals from local artists.

Fort Worth Data Center boast, design cues that point to Fort Worth.

An employee plays a video game in a lounge room at Facebook’s Fort Worth data center.

Employees can enjoy lounge areas in the data center’s administrative wing.

The administrative wing features flexible seating and meeting options for employees.

Employees have access to a game room.

DESIGNED FOR EMPLOYEES

Facebook offers employees food and drink at an in-house canteen.

A cafeteria space is available to data center employees.

A vending machine sells office supplies.

… AND GETTING THINGS DONE

The administrative areas feature flexible seating and meeting options for employees.

Comfortable meeting spaces highlight local artwork.

Technology is on display in the data center’s meeting spaces.

SUSTAINABILITY IS PLANNED

Efficient design is seen in the cooling system for the buildings, which uses outdoor and direct evaporative cooling systems powered by clean and renewable energy.

Fans are used to cool the data center.

Fans are used to cool the Facebook building.

THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER

Facebook was a leader in committing to powering its facilities and infrastructure entirely with clean and renewable energy. Facebook’s data center uses 75 percent less water than a typical data center. This efficiency is continued in Facebook’s server hardware, which is designed to operate at higher temperatures to require less cooling.