Data center cooling

A method of containing and cooling electronic equipment, the method comprising:

• housing electronic equipment in at least a first rack and a second rack, the first and second racks each having a front face and a back face, at least portions of the first and second racks being configured to allow gas to be drawn in through the respective front faces and to allow heated gas to be expelled through the respective back faces;
• collecting heated gas expelled through the portions of the first and second racks in a common area adjacent the back faces of the first and second racks, including substantially containing the heated gas in the common area using at least two end panels coupled to the first and second racks and one roof panel coupled to the two end panels and the first and second racks;
• and
• exhausting the heated gas out of the common area, including:
• drawing the heated gas from the common area through cooling equipment, positioned in at least one of the first and second racks, cooling the drawn heated gas to produce cooled gas, and providing the cooled gas into a cooled area, and
• exhausting the heated gas in the common area to a top area above the common area such that the heated gas is vertically exhausted through the top area and laterally exhausted through the cooling equipment with the first and second racks and the at least two end panels coupled to the first and second racks inhibiting lateral exit of the heated gas from the contained common area except through the cooling equipment.