Bologna Technopole

Nesite raised floors in Bologna Technopole, a scientific hub of excellence that hosts research activities and prestigious infrastructures such as ECMWF ( European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts), INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics), CINECA and the supercomputer Leonardo.

THE PROJECT

Technopole is a virtuous redevelopment project, today the beating heart of Bologna’s Data Valley and a city of science dedicated to innovation and experimentation for industrial research, with high-performance computing infrastructures among the most powerful in the world.

Its construction has involved the conversion of the former Manifattura Tabacchi, a 1952 building designed by Pier Luigi Nervi, preserving its architectural memory. In fact, the complex, declared of historical and artistic interest and protected by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, has been coherently integrated with the new buildings, recovering and enhancing the original building. The special attention to environmental impact also led the LEED v.4 for BD+C certification.

WHY THE RAISED FLOOR

The use of the Nesite raised floor is mainly related to the building that houses CINECA and the Leonardo supercomputer, for which we designed an anti-seismic system, able to face very high load requirements.

In fact, the floor allows for a maximum distributed load of 30 kN/sqm, approximately 3,060 kg/sqm, which is higher than the highest class (>12 kN) provided by current regulations regarding the performance of raised floors.

Specifically, the solution realised was designed to support a load of more than 150 racks with a total weight of more than 340 tons, while the underfloor allows the passage of approximately 156 km of cables. The structure, on the other hand, features seismic calculations and special high-strength cross members.