Facebook is preparing to build a second data center at its site in Altoona, US, where it is currently finishing off construction of a 476,000 sq ft data center.

It is unclear yet if the new data center will use Facebook’s Stick Built design method, or follow the lead of construction teams in Luleå, Sweden, which are significantly altering the blueprint using Facebook’s new pre-fab design method.

FOCUS 35, out this week, takes a closer look at the new Rapid Deployment Data Center design being used for Luleå 2 – a method that has been liked to building data center like Ikea furniture due to modules inside being shipped flatpacked then assembled fast to shave up to ten months off construction projects. (Sign up for your copy of FOCUS 35, which will be out this week, online here.)

In a Facebook post today, Facebook said construction teams have spent more than 435,000 hours constructing Altoona 1.

It said on May 5, its proposal for Altoona 2 is due to go before the Altoona City Council.

“Pending the Council’s approval, we’ll break ground on the new building shortly,” Facebook said.

Altoona 2 will be of a similar size to Altoona 1, and “roughly the same layout”.

The first Facebook data center build in Altoona is scheduled to come online in early 2015.

Once complete, the data center will be 100% carbon neutral, with a nearby windfarm being built by MidAmerican Energy providing access to renewable power and Facebook offsetting other energy needs with Renewable Energy Credits.

Turner Construction is the sub-contractor for the Iowa build and will also manage the second facility on the site.

In an interview with FOCUS, Facebook’s overseer for data center operations for data center operations for EMEA and the US East Coast Niall McEntegart said Facebook builds its data centers to provide levels of redundancy on each site.

It plans to have two facilities per location, after which it will investigate further facilities, including those for cold storage.

Facebook currently has two data centers in Prineville, Oregon, and Forrest City, North Carolina and it is building its second in Sweden.

Facebook will be using local providers wherever possible to reduce the carbon footprint, and time for delivery, of its prefab modules in Lulea, and McEntegart said at the time of speaking with FOCUS he imagined it would look to do the same when using Rapid Deployment in other countries.