Build Blog – One year on

When we began the lengthy design and build process for our new London Central data centre, we decided to start a comprehensive build blog which would track the progress made each week, including photographs of the changes and a short write up of what’s been happening.

This ended in July 2015, shortly after we soft-opened the facility to existing clients. From a technical standpoint, the facility was indeed ‘finished’, however we still had plenty of additions to make with regards to customer amenities. We officially launched the new facility in February 2016, after completing another run of works inside the data centre.

We posted our first build blog update in November 2016, which documented the overhaul of our much-loved Build Room for data hall one. We’re now almost exactly a year on from our official launch event, and so thought it would be a good opportunity to provide an update post that documents all the changes we have made over the past 12-18 months.

This photographic tour of the facility shows all of the key spaces in their current configuration, bringing the build blog fully up to date with the facility as it stands today.

NOC

Our NOC screens command centre stage in our open plan office.

Workstations

All workstations in our office now have a triple-screen setup.

Office

Our open plan HQ office has become a real hive of activity over the past 12 months.

Meeting Room

Our much-lauded meeting room is a real favourite with site visitors.

Meeting Room

Two large conference screens sit at the head of our Vitra board table.

Reception

Our reception now sports a sleek desk with custom white logo.

Reception

We have a new tube status readout screen above the main entrance, for the convenience of visitors as they leave.

Reception

A look up at the soaring atrium in the main entrance.

Customer Lounge

Our new Customer Lounge is very much a space that will evolve over the coming months, but it is already a uniquely interesting space that our customers love to use.

Customer Lounge

Our new Customer Lounge is very much a space that will evolve over the coming months, but it is already a uniquely interesting space that our customers love to use.

Customer Lounge

Our new Customer Lounge is very much a space that will evolve over the coming months, but it is already a uniquely interesting space that our customers love to use.

Customer Kitchen

Our dedicated customer kitchen, while still a blank canvas awaiting further work, is rarely pictured.

Customer Kitchen

Our dedicated customer kitchen, while still a blank canvas awaiting further work, is rarely pictured.

Electrical Intake

Our electrical intake room has had colour coding for both A and B sides applied, with further colouring to come soon.

Electrical Intake

Our electrical intake room has had colour coding for both A and B sides applied, with further colouring to come soon.

Showers

Our shower facilities received a full make over shortly after opening.

Build Room

Build Room 1 received a full overhaul recently, much to the praise of its users.

Build Room

Build Room 1 received a full overhaul recently, much to the praise of its users.

Build Room

The two workstations in Build Room 1 are always ready for customer use.

Data Hall 1

A look down the length of Data Hall One as it stands today, an ever-evolving modular space.

Data Hall 1

A look down the length of Data Hall One as it stands today, an ever-evolving modular space.

Data Hall 1

An alternative view of Data Hall One, this time from Row B/C.

Data Hall 1

A look at the new optical distribution infrastructure recently upgraded in Data Hall One.

We have additional improvement works scheduled for 2017, including additional perimeter fencing with razor wire and a man trap, the deployment of additional rack and cooling capacity in data hall one, as well as improved on-site amenities for both customers and staff.

Build Blog – Build Room 1 Update

Our last official Build Blog entry was in July 2015, shortly after the soft-opening of our facility to existing clients. That was nearly 18 months ago, and it’s fair to say that the facility has evolved fairly extensively since then.

Anyone that knows our data centres will understand our obsession with quality and progression, which permeates everything we design and build here at Netwise. As much as the build room for Data Hall 1 functioned perfectly well, it’s fair to say that we are not huge fans of plain white rooms. The inclusion of the sound system in September was of course a welcome addition, however the space was still lacking some imagination.

Build Room 1 now adheres to our new technical design direction, which will follow suit in Data Hall 1 in 2017. The space has 360 degree wrap-around checker plate cladding, and a newly inviting entrance to Data Hall 1 – giving a greater indication that you are entering the primary technical space inside of the facility.

The old white space masked up for painting

The old white space masked up for painting

First coat of paint on both wall and door

First coat of paint on both wall and door

The finished paintwork

The finished paintwork

The first of the check plate being installed

The first of the check plate being installed

A look at the more intricate corner detail

A look at the more intricate corner detail

A look across the build room as the checker plate reaches completion, with work benches re-positioned

A look across the build room as the checker plate reaches completion, with work benches re-positioned

The space returned to normal function, pending final orange accents

The space returned to normal function, pending final orange accents

The space returned to normal function, pending final orange accents

The space returned to normal function, pending final orange accents

The space returned to normal function, pending final orange accents

The space returned to normal function, pending final orange accents

February 2017 will mark our first anniversary since officially launching to the public. Check back here in late February for a special Build Blog post; one year on, which will detail all of the changes to the facility since launching.

London Central Build Blog – Week 71 Onwards

Further finishing touches have gone into the site over the past two weeks, while primary efforts are focused on deploying new systems and configuring various elements of our infrastructure management.

New parking signage to ensure our private bays are kept for the exclusive use of our staff and customers

New parking signage to ensure our private bays are kept for the exclusive use of our staff and customers

More signage governing the dedicated customer entrance along the roadside of the facility

More signage governing the dedicated customer entrance along the roadside of the facility

Custom flags for the exterior of our building

Custom flags for the exterior of our building

One of the new flags being installed

One of the new flags being installed

Both flags installed to the front of the facility

Both flags installed to the front of the facility

Our on-site NOC screens being tested after some initial systems integration

Our on-site NOC screens being tested after some initial systems integration

Fully restored lighting over our main / reception entrance

Fully restored lighting over our main / reception entrance

This post signifies the end of our regular build blog series. Whilst the site will always have on-going works, particularly as new modules of the facility come online, the initial build can now be considered complete.

As such, we will now only put up new build blog posts during specific projects, or at the end of further system installations, to give our readers an insight into new developments.

We thank all of our avid readers for following the project – it has been a very long and at times difficult task, but our London Central site is now online and operating at full steam!

London Central Build Blog – Week 70

There were some delays this week, due to on-going configuration works on various systems, however the access control system is now complete and operational, along with progress in other areas of the site.

A look at the outward facing access control cluster on the customer kitchen door

A look at the outward-facing access control cluster on the customer kitchen door

A look at the access control hardware inside the customer kitchen area

A look at the access control hardware inside the customer kitchen area

A look at the control unit setup inside of the cold corridor

A look at the control unit setup inside of the cold corridor

The inbound access control unit for entering the customer kitchen, in its powered, operational state

The inbound access control unit for entering the customer kitchen, in its powered, operational state

A look at the new signage ready to be fitted throughout the facility

A look at the new signage ready to be fitted throughout the facility

A look at the new signage ready to be fitted throughout the facility

A look at the new signage ready to be fitted throughout the facility

One of the small door signs fitted, which are grey vinyl applied to frosted perspex, mounted on satin-finish signage standoffs

One of the small door signs fitted; the signs are made of grey vinyl applied to frosted perspex, mounted on satin-finish signage standoffs

London Central Build Blog – Week 69

Progress has been made on a number of areas again this week, most notably the installation of our access control systems.

The backup / redundant cooling in the meet-me room has had a new condensate pipe fitted

The backup / redundant cooling in the meet-me room has had a new condensate pipe system fitted

The backup / redundant cooling in the meet-me room has had a new condensate pipe system fitted

The backup / redundant cooling in the meet-me room has had a new condensate pipe system fitted

The electrical intake room as its new hung ceiling is installed

The electrical intake room as its new hung ceiling is installed

A look at the ceiling grid being installed in the electrical intake room

A look at the ceiling grid being installed in the electrical intake room

A look at the completed ceiling, complete with lighting, fire detector and cable entry / exit points

A look at the completed ceiling, complete with lighting, fire detector and cable entry / exit points

A look at our cooling stacks with their new bag filters fitted to the exterior of the wet boxes, taking our total number of pre-data hall filtration layers to 4

A look at our cooling stacks with their new bag filters fitted to the exterior of the wet boxes, taking our total number of pre-data hall filtration layers to 4

A look at the access control units being installed, in this instance to the first floor data hall entrance

A look at the access control units being installed, in this instance to the first floor data hall entrance

A look at the components which make up one side of the customer kitchen / reception entrance, one of the more complex doors to fit out in this facility

A look at the components which make up one side of the customer kitchen / reception entrance, one of the more complex doors to fit out in this facility

A look at one of the exterior biometric and RFID units

A look at one of the exterior biometric and RFID units, this one for the out of hours customer entrance

The internal control and exit hardware for the out of hours customer entrance and exit

The internal control and exit switching hardware for the out of hours customer entrance and exit