Our significant expansion of Netwise London East (NLE) is now well underway, which is Phase 3 of development at our flagship data centre.
This will result in the addition of two new data halls, alongside a range of additional amenities and site features. Works began in December 2024, and will continue throughout 2025, with various completion milestones at multiple stages along the way.
The main focus at this stage is the installation of the new mezzanine, as this forms the basis of the entire internal sub-structure, around which we build our facilities (as seen at our London Central site, and also the current footprint at London East).
Here are some photo updates from the early stages of Phase 3:
Some of the earliest works centred around a full internal and external renovation of the new unit, including a significant amount of work on the roofThe exterior cladding of the building also enjoyed a full refinish, which will become evident in later photosThis is the view across to the expansion project within the new unit, from the existing facility entrance / footprintThe inside of the new space also required significant refurbishment before our main works schedule beganThe front-of-house areas also got completely ripped out ahead of a total refurbishmentWe’ll be adding further office and administration spaces in this new side of the facility, and the existing upstairs office also saw a full strip-out ahead of refurbishmentThis is the main frontage of the extended footprint after the completion of the initial refurbishment, ahead of our main works schedule commencingThis space will become a second / extended NOC and operations space, after the initial refurbishment, and with the new carpet covered ready for the next phase of work to beginThe site has been fully prepared for our main work schedule here, including all protective covering of newly installed surfaces, and the various required temporary site boards and signage in placeThe temporary signage extends to all areas of the siteOne of the existing ground floor spaces has become the on-site canteen and break room, ready for the various contractors that will be working on-site in the coming monthsOne of the early stage jobs, beyond our initial laser survey of the space, is to laser plot the main column locations for the new mezzanine sub-structureWith such a high degree of accuracy required for the installation of the mezzanine, collaboration between engineers, project managers and installers is keyA view across the main space, as column locations are marked up according to the installation plansHere are some of the many heavy-duty custom steel columns as delivered, ahead of installationA view across the main space, following the initial refurbishment, as the main work schedule beginsAnother view across the main space, following the initial refurbishment, as the main work schedule beginsThe mezzanine sub-structure is a surprisingly quick component to install, with much of the work front-loaded during the planning and engineering phaseThe mezzanine is installed in bays / sections, and progresses across the space from the initial column locationsA view of the mezzanine progress from the rear corner of the new spaceWe have an installation timelapse of the mezzanine install, which we’ll be making available in the near future – 19,000 photos in total!Here we see part of the structure standing in isolation, ahead of the installation of the purlins that will make up this particular bayThis is the underside of a partially complete bayHere we see further progress, as the temporary safety netting is installed to the underside of the mezzanine ahead of installing the top surfaceThe main beams are partially assembled on the ground, ahead of lifting into placeA view of progress as the mezzanine structure continues to take shapeA view of the underside of the structure, as top surface boards begin to be positionedThe boards are fixed to the structure, and will form the initial face upon which the next stage is built, which will be the main envelopeHere we look down from the partially completed half of the structure, which will continue across this span to the far side of the spaceDespite the expansion project taking place within an adjoining unit to the existing live footprint, the two spaces will be combined into a single facility – as part of this, we will be breaching between the two units; we have installed temporary dust and fire barriers, ahead of the cut through processHere we can see the initial breach of the outer skin of the envelope within the ground floor corridorProgress continues with the mezzanine installationThe view here is taken from what will eventually be the cooling plant area for Data Hall 6 – the two halls within this new expansion will be larger than those within the current footprint, each housing three containment podsThe final columns being cross-checked after installation, as the mezzanine continues towards completionA view back across the mezzanine structure, as works progressThe scissor lifts work in conjunction with our forklift in getting components to the correct height for installationThe view looks across the area that will make up Data Hall 6 on the ground floor of the new spaceThis view is from the approximate eventual location of Pod 3 within Data Hall 6All parts of the steel structure are now complete, with only the remaining top surface installation to goThe view here looks across to the outside face of the facility, which will house offices, a new meeting room, and supporting electrical infrastructure for the new data hallsThis is the view from the top surface as it continues towards completion – this is taken from the eventual first floor corridor, looking into the area that will house Data Hall 5The top surface installation continues hereMembers of the Netwise team undertake regular inspections as part of the installation processThis view sits on the edge of what will become the B-side UPS and switchgear room for the two new data halls, and the associated cable access corridor (a new cable handling methodology that we’re deploying as part of the expansion) – the new meeting room will be directly above thisHere we see the underside of the completed mezzanine structureAnother view of the completed mezzanine, as viewed from the eventual location of Pod 3 in Data Hall 6, looking towards the eventual location of the UPS rooms and cable access corridorsThe completed structure, as seen from the new loading bay area, with temporary barriers in place until the envelope is installedThe next action on the underside of the mezzanine structure will be the column encasementsHere we see the top side of the new structure, as some minor additional works begin on the sky lightsThis is the view from the eventual location of Pod 3 within Data Hall 5, looking across to the eventual location of the new offices and meeting spaceOur scaffold tower is being used for roof-level access now that the top surface is completeThe insulation and closure of the sky lights can be seen underway hereAll of the sky lights above the data halls will be insulated and closed off as part of the pre-envelope works, which replicates the setup in the existing live data hallsOur facilities team are undertaking this work, ahead of the next major contractor stage – the envelopeThe view down into the new loading bay, as viewed from the edge of the mezzanine, where the access corridor will be located – there will be level loading capabilities here, as with the existing loading bay
As you can see, we’ve been able to make quite an impressive start to the project. To have the mezzanine complete in the first week of January sets up our work schedule incredibly well, allowing for the envelope to begin later this month.
We have also now started a range of other preparatory works ahead of this, including the insulation and closure of the skylights, encasement of the columns with fire protection, and some of the breaching works for interconnecting the units and other internal areas.
We have more updates coming as part of Phase 2 soon also, so watch this space for plenty more build content throughout Q1 2025 and beyond.
