London Colo Centre

Client Requirement

A London based client acquired an old colocation facility with the sole objective of converting it into a modern class leading data centre. The facility was located on the first floor of a multi-tenanted building in the city of London.

The client had no experience of building such a facility and outsourced management of the project to a supply partner. The partner in turn engaged the services of HAC to manage the project in it's entirety.

The client spec'd a 140-rack data centre with 1MVA supply and back-up generator. A small meet-me room was also required for network coss-connectivity.

The project also called for refurbishment of existing office space, construction of a new Network Operations Centre (NOC), a new kitchen and revamp of an existing reception area.

Outcome

The first task undertaken by HAC was to survey the site and produce a detailed report on the current state of the existing M&E equipment. A recommendation to scrap and replace with new was accepted by the client.

After composing the budget and selecting the suppliers, HAC arranged JCT contracts for all parties. Designs were drafted and circulated for approval. The project qualified as a notifiable project under CDM regulations and was notified to the HSE.

The construction work commenced with de-installation of the old plant and refurbishment of the technical space. This was followed by the installation of raised flooring with a cavity height of 400mm.

Air-con pipe-work was installed from the 1st to the 7th floor (roof level). UPS, Air-handling units, Power distribution, fire suppression, CCTV and access systems were installed accordingly. As were 25 initital server cabinets in readiness for the day one clients.

Away from the 1st floor activities, a 1MVA back-up generator was installed in the rear yard and a mains failure switch and transformer in the basement. Extensive building and renovation work was performed in the basement to accommodate the latter two.

The project was completed on time and to budget. HAC were subsequently re-hired to manage a Phase Two 70-rack expansion of this facility.