by Matt Seaton

London East Build Blog – Weeks 18 and 19

Plenty more progress to report on this time around, as we head towards twenty weeks of work on-site at NLE.

Weekly overview

Focus this time around has been on preparing the space for the walling contractors to begin their installation works. This has included the removal of some legacy cable containment, the installation of new EcoTerm insulation on all skylights over the eventual first floor data halls, and the construction of our lift foundation.

As always, there have been a wide array of additional works happening alongside the headline tasks, both at NLE, and in the continued growth of operations across the board. We’re in early-stage planning for further expansion in Telehouse, for example – more news on that soon!

Lift
The beginnings of our block lift base, which will bring the shaft and lifting gear up to the new raised floor height
Lift
The mixing area setup for laying the lift foundation
Lift
The materials that will make up the new lift base
Lift
The first course of blocks in place, pending final block brushing after completion
Lift
All three courses in place, along with the eventual board topper, which brings the finished height to exactly 450mm – to the millimetre across the entire top surface
EcoTherm
Our EcoTherm panels being cut to size for each skylight
EcoTherm
These insulated panels block incoming sunlight to what will be the overhead void in each first floor data hall, something we also rolled out at NLC during the build phase
EcoTherm
A view of the EcoTherm panels as they begin to blackout the first floor
EcoTherm
The existing overhead high-bay LED panels and all associated containment and cabling have now also been fully removed, ahead of the wall installation
Gas
The new internal runs for our gas supply have now also been installed

We’ve also had extensive work undertaken to reposition the on-site boiler, which included a full re-run of the building’s gas and water supplies. As a result, our office / NOC kitchen is now fully plumbed in, making the site much more pleasant to inhabit!

As always, there has been a huge amount of work happening behind the scenes. We’re now ready for our internal walls to be installed, along with all access doors, which have now been manufactured for us. Our personnel lift will also be installed in September, which required the block base to be fully in place, along with the associated internal walls that will surround the shaft.

What else has been happening?

Our new CREC units have now gone into manufacture, thanks to our long-standing friends over at EcoCooling. These ECT10800 units are manufactured entirely in Suffolk, at the EcoCooling design and production facility – so 100% UK made.

We’ve been sent some shots of these units as they run through the assembly line, something we’re always very pleased to see!

EcoCooling
The EcoCooling plant in Suffolk, where our CREC units are being built for us
EcoCooling
A look at some existing cooler stock at the EcoCooling plant
EcoCooling
Our coolers are 100% made here in the UK

We’ve visited their production facility a number of times, and the level of innovation on display there really is something to behold. We’re very proud to again be partnering with EcoCooling for NLE, the third private design and build project we’ve had the pleasure of working with them on.

What’s next?

We now have a final week of closing preparation works before the next phase begins in anger, starting with the internal walls and doors. This week will include a range of tasks across the board, even including some work on our new van, which we’re very excited to show you once complete!