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Cloud House Phase II,
Digital Realty

Building Services & Engineering

Gratte Brothers was appointed as Principal Contractor to undertake this mechanical, electrical and construction work package which delivered the fit-out of five levels within Digital Realty's Cloud House data centre.

Project Information

Client:
Digital Realty
Main Contractor:
Gratte Brothers Ltd
Sector:
Data Centre
Duration:
6 Months
Services:
M&E Data Hall Cat A fit-out

Scope of Work

Gratte Brothers was appointed as Principal Contractor to undertake this mechanical, electrical and construction work package which delivered the fit-out of five levels within a live data hall. This design and build project further extended and enhanced the infrastructure delivered by the team during the project’s first phase.

The Cat A installation included the provision of additional generators, high-voltage (HV) ring main units, transformers, uninterrupted power supply (UPS) and the extension of the building management system (BMS). This was in addition to new fire alarm detection, security systems and water mist for the associated data halls and switch rooms. These services were delivered alongside builders work which was inclusive of flooring, risers and fire stopping.

No System Downtime

During this second phase, new lighting and power was also deployed to the fallow areas of levels 1, 2 and 4, alongside new data hall cooling provided via CRAC units and domestic water services for core areas. The innovative dock water cooling system first deployed during the initial phase of this project was also completed within this phase of works.

All works were undertaken within a live data centre which could therefore not experience any downtime. Maintaining the continuity of the client’s operations (which included the data centre’s power, cooling and security) whilst effectively undertaking heart surgery on the existing systems was paramount and a number of challenges therefore had to be overcome by the team. A key challenge included the migration of live power distribution units (PDU) which were supporting the client’s load to the new switchgear whilst ensuring no power outage was experienced by the end-user. A second challenge overcome by the team was the delivery of two 2,750 kVA generators through the side of the existing building, which required a road closure and expert logistics to ensure a seamless process.

Sustainability

Whilst there were no requirements to obtain Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) standard on this second phase, the first phase delivered by Gratte Brothers achieved a BREEAM rating of excellent and therefore all materials delivered during this phase needed to be duplicated to respect the sustainable value of this built environment. In addition to the BREEAM rating of excellent achieved by the first phase, the data centre as a whole was voted Green Data Centre of the Year at the Electrical Review and Data Centre Review Excellence Awards 2023, further establishing its sustainability credentials.

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