Phase 2 development works have picked up at our London East facility in the early stages of 2025, as we prepare to bring Data Hall 3 online. This will be the final hall as part of Phase 2, before full focus turns to our main expansion project, which will see the addition of Data Halls 5 and 6 – this will be Phase 3.
Phase 3 is already underway – starting in early December 2024 – and will run in tandem with the final stage of Phase 2. You can see our Phase 3 posts published so far here on our build blog.
As Data Hall 3 will be the final hall to be onlined in the current side of the building, we’re expecting a somewhat speedy deployment schedule, given that many aspects of the fit-out process were completed as part of the Data Hall 4 schedule. As Data Halls 3 and 4 share the ground floor, there were certain deployment synergies which allowed for progress on both halls at the same time, much like upstairs with Data Halls 1 and 2. This approach will carry over to Data Hall 5 and 6 in the new expansion, as part of the Phase 3 schedule.
Earlier Phase 2 Works
Here are some photo updates, starting with the primary cooling system upgrade works for each active data hall, which happened in mid-2024:
One aspect of Phase Two involved the upgrading of our CREC systems in all active data halls, moving from four live coolers in each hall to sixThis part of the Phase Two development schedule involved deploying six new CRECs across the three active hallsThis upgrade to the primary cooling system in each hall comes as a result of growing load in each of the spaces, as each active hall meets or approaches capacityHere we see the view from the cold corridor in Data Hall 1, as the new coolers are prepared for commissioning in mid-2024Here we see the cold corridor in Data Hall 2, with the new hot air extraction system in place for exhausting non-return hot air from Data Hall 4We also increased the number of intake vents and first-stage filters in all data halls, to handle the increased throughput of the upgraded CREC system in each live hallAs part of the upgraded primary cooling system in each data hall, additional control system cabling has been installed as part of the commissioning works, which has enabled a greater degree of system-wide interplay and monitoringAll data halls now have water meters in place to enable the measurement of WUE metrics, which sit alongside PUE metrics as important measures of efficiency and sustainability – water supply capacity has also been increased
Later Phase 2 Works
We can now take a look at more recent build progress in Data Hall 3:
One of the first elements of installation focus for Data Hall 3 centred around the power distributionBoth A and B feed power distribution boards have been situated (along with the separate dual-fed mechanical board), with termination of the main feeds to followHere we see the checker plate wall protection install underwayHere’s a wider view of works underway inside of Data Hall 3, with overhead flood-cabling in progressBoth ODF A and B have been installed at this stage, along with all supporting cable containmentThe view towards the back of the hall, where the primary cooling system will be situated – the intake vents can be seen pre-cut, with temporary insulated blocks inserted until ready for filter frame installationSome of the custom (and rather intricate!) multi-level containment work can be seen underfloor here, designed and installed by our expert in-house electrical teamAll containment is handled ahead of flood cabling and termination, which is set to begin very soonThere are fully diverse containment routes flowing around the entirety of each data hall sub-floor, to ensure the maximum level of compliant power delivery to each client rackData Hall 3 has a matching power delivery system to that found in Data Hall 4, which came online in the summer of 2024 – this was an evolution of the power delivery system design deployed in the first floor Data Halls (1 and 2)A view across Data Hall 3, as work on the under floor infrastructure continuesTerminations within the main distribution boards 3 are well underway hereHere we see the supplementary CRACs under commissioning within Data Hall 3, after positioning on their custom plinthsAs part of the CREC system installation for Data Hall 3, modifications are being made within the cold corridor in Data Hall 1, as part of the hot air extraction systemThese modifications will ultimately result in a matching setup as seen previously in this post, which now functions across the Data Hall 2 / Data Hall 4 extraction pairingAdditional intake filters will also be added to the Data Hall 1 cold corridor soon, as part of the Phase 2 finalisation worksOn the topic of filters, here we see the cold corridor within Data Hall 2, as a full filter change is undertaken – this includes main intake filters (seen here), along with all internal cooler filters, wet pads, and the final cold air exit filters, all of which are contained within the CREC wallThe CRECs and associated filters have arrived, ready for installation within Data Hall 3
This has been quite a significant update post, given that it covers Phase 2 works spanning back to mid-2024. This phase will see the completion of all deployable data hall space within the active side of Netwise London East, which will reach completion ahead of the active Phase 3 works.
We’re now in the closing stages of Phase 2; Data Hall 3 will be onlined and ready to receive incoming customer deployments in the next few months. We’ll be providing final Phase 2 build blog updates as this work reaches completion.
Phase 3 will continue alongside these final Phase 2 works, however internal focus is now firmly on getting Data Hall 3 ready for occupation.
