With focus turning back to Phase 3 in Q4, following the completion of Phase 2 in Q3, we have some updates to relay as the build schedule for Data Halls 5 and 6 begins to gain traction again.
Development work continues to see a certain level of distribution across both the operational side of the facility, as well as the new expansion. Despite Phase 2 now being complete with the onlining of Data Hall 3, we had an additional works list for the active side of London East, which will see the improvement of various functions and features throughout the facility.
Let’s get straight to the updates for Phase 3:
The new perimeter fencing and associated access routes have seen lots of progression since the end of the summerHere’s a wider contextual view of the new Unit 5 frontage, with the existing frontage of Unit 6 in view on the right hand sideThe view from the main east-side entrance to the Datapoint estate, looking across what is now the full extent of the London East facility footprintHere we see the turnstile installed for the first time, ahead of access control implementation in the new expansion spaceThe new vehicle access gate opening is now ready for installation of the 5-metre folding gate itselfThe new gate is now hung ahead of automation, and the full perimeter has had its razor wire fitted along the top to match that of the existing perimeterThis is the view of the new Unit 5 frontage from the main entrance of the Datapoint estate, following the completion of the perimeter (aside to full access control implementation)Access control integration is now well underway, which will enable the onlining of the main entry points to the new footprint, which all remain in a physical hard-locked state at this point – signage and panelling has now also seen completion in this areaAs part of this same work-set, the client entrance to Unit 6 (which will remain the main client entrance after the expansion project is complete) has been fully refreshed, with new panels and signage, as well as a new small package drop boxThe access control systems are being deployed in the front of the new footprint, which will ultimately control the entry and exit process on this side of the facilityA side access gate has also been installed, which will securely isolate the new external plant area from the additional parking facilities in the frontHere is a view of the side and rear perimeter as completedThe new vehicle gate is centre-folding to accommodate different space constraints on this side of the facility, unlike the sliding gate deployed as part of the existing frontageHere is an elevated view of the main entrance to the new space, along with the fencing installation in this area – the new logo is on it’s way to us for installation soonHere we have an elevated view across the active centre of the London East facility, and onward to the new expansion project – the newly added Unit 7 is just visible on the right hand sideThis elevated view shows the full extent of the London East footprint, following the successful integration of Unit 7 into Netwise controlThe addition of Unit 7 completes our footprint control strategy for the London East facilityWork on the new expansion project continues across a wide range of areas, including work on the roof which requires specialist access equipmentThe new door openings across the facility have seen progression, but remain in a ‘roughed-in’ state in non-technical spacesThe new openings have been framed out head of repair work to refinish adjoining surfacesIn the new office and meeting room area of the expansion footprint, first fix adjustments have begun to enable certain areas to be refinished, in keeping with their new use caseHere we see plasterboard being prepared to cover the block wall in the office areaThe new surface here will form one of the new private offices, along with the glazed corridor for accessing the rest of the spaces in this areaOne major component of making the new office and meeting space work is acoustic treatment – there have been many engineering meetings to discuss how best to implement this, as an additional layer to the main composite wall structureThe acoustic treatment in this area creates a new isolation barrier, which will form one side of a new access corridor, leading to the offices and meeting roomThe main sound insulating wall is approaching initial completion hereThe new office and meeting room area will bring a new visual language to our facilities, as we are working with an interior designer to really make this spaces shineThis view is from the new meeting room, looking down what will be a glazed corridor leading to the offices, breakout area and second NOCThis area will be the new staff breakout and kitchen area, sitting between the new NOC space and the offices / meeting roomThe breach points between the technical areas of the facility have now been trimmed out – this is the first floor breach pointHere we see the ground floor breach pointWe’ve also trimmed out the additional breach on the ground floor which runs between the front of house and the technical spaces on the ground floorThe racking in the new warehouse / loading bay in now complete, and is primarily used to store materials ahead of their eventual requirement as part of the build projectVarious materials are now being distributed across the facility – the raised floor materials for Data Hall 5 have now landed in the hall to acclimate ahead of installationThe technical spaces within the facility are set to see transformation in the early stages of 2026, as the containment works begin in full forceFurther apertures have been cut for cable access in various areas throughout the facility – here we see a range within one of the new UPS rooms, ahead of final trimmingSome of the new electrical boards have started landing ready for deployment in time
We’re naturally very pleased to see progress pick back up on the Unit 5 expansion project (Phase 3), given that this had to take a backseat during the close-out of Phase 2.
In the early stages of 2026, the build schedule will move more firmly back towards technical works, as containment will begin flowing in ahead of the main flood-cabling action.
Supplementary works on the active side of the facility
In addition to the main build phases / schedules, we’ve spent time on
Alongside the continuation of works for the Unit 5 expansion, we’ve also had additional second-path earth deployed on the existing backup gen-setsThe adjustments made here were of course non-service impacting, and result in an improvement to earthing redundancy as a safety improvement on this backup power delivery systemYou’ll now see multiple earth pits around the generator area in Unit 6The new earthing rod installation is an example of iterative improvement on existing systems (as opposed to a set-and-forget mindset), and undertaken by our in-house electrical engineering teamThe main client reception has seen adjustments to the check in area, to streamline the arrivals process ahead of some procedure changes landing in the new yearWe now have a twin iPad setup for our check in app, which enables faster check in for visits with multiple engineers, or where multiple clients arrive at the same timeWe’ve added to the building-wide way finding and fire exit route signage, with more to come in 2026We’ve added to the building-wide way finding and fire exit route signage, with more to come in 2026We’ve added to the building-wide way finding and fire exit route signage, with more to come in 2026We’ve added to the building-wide way finding and fire exit route signage, with more to come in 2026
We’re also happy to leak some preview shots of our new customer portal, which is under development and will be launching in 2026. This is something that’s been in the works for a while, a collaboration between our own team, as well as a UI/UX designer, and our development partner, and we’re very excited to get this pushed out to clients next year.
More on the Unit 7 expansion
As you may have already seen from our official announcement post, we have now secured Unit 7 of the Datapoint estate, which joins Unit 5 (our current expansion project) and Unit 6 (the live footprint), creating a single ~38,000ft² facility, and giving us total control over the entire free-standing building and secure compound areas.
Work has already begun on this side of the footprint, with the initial refurbishment works now complete, and the exterior perimeter bolstered to a pre-conversion state.
Initial refurbishment works have been undertaken in the new space, ahead of our own works schedule in due course – this readies the shell for conversion as the next phase of expansion at NLE (Phase 4)Refurbishment works spanned the entire footprint of Unit 7, including some significant layout adjustments internally to ready the space for eventual conversionA view of the front of the new space, as initial refurbishment works are undertakenHere we see preparations underway for the new perimeter fencing, to enclose the entire NLE footprint, which required adjustments to the demise line and external slab / drainageWe will be largely completing the Phase 3 expansion works in Unit 5 ahead of starting on Phase 4, however there may be some developmental cross-over later in the Phase 3 build cycleAs with both other footprints that make up the London East facility, the new space brings with it plenty of opportunity for expanded amenities for both customers and staff alikeThe new footprint is now back to the same matching baseline condition as the prior footprints ahead of their conversion – we’re very excited to see this new space come into the Netwise London East foldA view of the new space as seen from the corner of the front compoundTaking on Unit 7 provides masses of additional compound space, which has now been fully enclosed in our palisade fencing – this will have the razor wire and our own specialise access control automation added laterHaving full control of the perimeter, as well as masses of additional space for parking and plant equipment, is a welcome addition to the NLE ecosystemThe full-width frontage of our London East facility, which now encompasses the entirety of the south side of the Datapoint estate, makes for quite an imposing approach
We’ve had yet another incredible year here at Netwise, which we’re please to top off with a final build blog post update for our readers.
We’ll have another year in review landing in January, as is tradition, but in the meantime we’d like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas, and a happy New Year. We’ll see you in 2026 for further progress on our multi-faceted expansion schedule.
