As we head towards the Holiday Season, we’ve been able to clear away a range of outstanding tasks on our list, setting things up nicely for the continuation of scheduled work in Q1 2021.
This short entry covers the items that have seen progress in the weeks leading up to the Festive holiday.
Weekly overview
We’ll be keeping this post relatively brief, however we’ve seen dramatic developments in a couple of key areas; cooling and lighting.
The entire first floor is now fully lit through the Klik system, which provides power to our overhead LED panels. This means that all temporary site lighting on the first floor can now be removed. Emergency bulkheads have also been wired up, ready for final directional label application in due course.
We’ve also built out our cooling system much further, with Data Halls 1 and 2 now very near completion, ahead of plumbing and cabling. The supplementary air conditioning systems are now also in place, pending commissioning much later in the project.
We lit up the first floor of the facility with full overhead lighting for the first timeAlthough our new first floor fire exit got installed a little while back, we haven’t yet shown it – here it is, providing a new fire exit route to the rear of the first floor data hallsAnother view of the fire exit, taken from the rear access walkwayHere we see the cooling system being married up to its custom blanking systemHere we see the completed system in Data Hall 1 (pending commissioning), showing blanking panels and return-to-atmosphere louvresHere we see a set of coolers, and an interconnecting blank, which in due course can be removed to allow for the installation of additional cooling capacityA look at the now fully-situated cooling plant and containment system, pending some final low-level blanks, which now forms the zoning of the cold corridorThis is the view of the cooling plant in Data Hall 2, which at this time is entirely populated with blanks, pending commissioning of the hall in due courseA wider view of the blanking system in Data Hall 2, pending the louvre installation along the top edge
The past few weeks have been vital in driving the project forwards, as we continue to line up the various items required for the next phase of the build.
What else has been happening?
We have two new deployments underway in Frankfurt and Amsterdam, which have been in the works now for some time. These will reach completion in the next few weeks, with a large number of high-specification servers and high-performance connectivity rolling out in both locations.
These have both been top-to-bottom deployments for us, from consultation, hardware supply, project management, right through to provisioning.
We’re very excited to see these two new systems come online. Amsterdam will be a new location for Netwise, and the roll-out in Frankfurt sees us expand our existing footprint in Germany’s most important data centre hub.
We’ve also had confirmation this week of our plans for fully diverse fibre routes back to our core nodes in THN and LD8, which is great news. The ball is now rolling on installation of these lines, which will provide us with dark fibre access to our existing metro network. Our network will then span five key London data centres.
In other news, we’ve been working directly with TfL to update the content on our travel notice screen in reception at NLC, which will carry over to a the new system being installed at NLE. Look out for the updated screens on-site at our facilities soon!
What’s next?
We will be continuing with progress on outstanding items throughout the holiday season, ready for larger trade work to continue in Q1. This will most notably include the electrical portion of the project – both HV and LV – which will take us right through to the point of onlining the site.
With the internal shell now complete, and with far fewer trades now on-site until the electrical works begin, we’ve been able to get various supplementary works underway across a number of key areas.
The last few weeks have proved to be an excellent springboard for getting things like access control integration started, with the first doors at NLE now online and interacting with our core systems at NLC.
Weekly overview
While final plans and schedules for the LV and HV electrical works continue, we’ve been able to press ahead on-site with a range of supplementary projects which have helped to drive forward general progress.
We’ve spent time on the main access control elements, which will secure the client entry points to the facility. This includes the frame installation of our turnstile, the integration of the main reception door onto the access control system, and the deployment of our lovely new Boon Edam speed gates.
The first of our three speedgate terminals fixed down to the floor in our entrance foyer, seen against the grey feature wall which runs the length of this areaA view of all three speedgate terminals now in place, which make up one large double-leaf access lane, and one smaller single-leaf pedestrian access laneHere we see the interconnecting conduit now installed, with flood cabling in place between all three terminals for power, data and fire integrationA look at the custom DIN rail installed at the base of each terminal, to handle incoming and outgoing connections for all cable servicesWe’re fully integrating these speedgates with our Paxton door entry system, and as such, the two lanes each have a Net2 Plus control board internally mountedA look at the progressing installation from the top of the access rampThis view shows the conduit as it pitches up the feature wall for overhead access to service routes above the ceiling lineHere we see the front door access control systems being installed, which will also house control points for the main compound turnstileThis 600kg maglock matches those used at NLC, and is the result of a fully custom installation with parts fabricated in-house to achieve the correct mounting positionHere we see the inside of the front door, as the access hardware begins to reach final state, pending the door exit mushroom buttonThe outside of the main entrance, with the newly mounted entry panel on the left to match those found at NLC, along with various pieces of custom door security furnitureA closer look at the matching door entry panel, which will also feature on the main turnstile as to replicate NLC’s secure entry setup – the colour match is quite impressive, and purely coincidental!The door entry control panel boxes seen with their installation nearing completionA look at the completed door entry control enclosures and associated power distribution, which now neatly hide many hours of termination workA quick look at some of the now fully-completed door systems, this one showing the entrance to one of our LV power rooms, and the ground floor lift entrance – this is being custom painted to match all other doors soonA view down the length of the ground floor corridor, with the entrance to Data Hall 4 in the foreground, leading on to the entrance to Data Hall 3 – the fully-integrated Paxton readers are visible here, as part of the handle assemblyWith hard hat tours starting in early 2021, we’ve been getting the tour PPE kit on-site ready for use by our visitorsWe’ve again gone with high-quality Dickies vests, which we’ve used for our engineering hi-vis vests for some time now, along with custom branded black hard hats
Alongside access control works, we’ve also now flood cabled the first data hall with its final lighting cables, which means we can begin to light the data halls with their overhead LED panels for the first time.
We’ve also had trades back on-site over the past few weeks to bring all doors to full completion, which includes the checking of tile stability around the frames, and adjusting all doors for their opening angles and closing speeds. Given the number of door systems installed, this is quite the undertaking.
Though not something pictured, our lift is now operational, and can move between floors. We’re now just waiting on some final integration work to be undertaken, which will bring that particular element of the project to a close.
The custom frame system we’ve had designed for our cooling plant and cold corridors arrived during this time, which we hope to begin installing in the next couple of weeks, on the lead up to Christmas.
What’s next?
Details are now finalised on much of the HV and LV front, meaning we’re close to having that stage of the project begin.
In the lead up to this, we’ll be continuing with lighting, access control, and the chequer plating of all client areas.
Another major job that will be undertaken both now and throughout the electrical installation works will be the integration of our new CREC system. This will include getting the coolers plumbed, powered and interconnected for their control systems, along with the installation of our custom-fabricated containment frame, which will blank off any cooler bays which are presently unoccupied, as well as providing a mounting location for the extraction louvres.
We’re very excited to show you another transformative fortnight of works on-site at NLE, as the internal envelope of our new data centre reaches full completion.
We’re now looking at a complete internal shell, giving us the physical structure we need to begin installing equipment and deploying electrical services.
Weekly overview
As you can see from the range of shots below, we’re now at a major turning point in this project. The internal shell has now been signed off as complete (with one final pass for minor snags pending), meaning we have the final internal structure of the building set and ready for the next phase of works that will take us into early 2021.
The facility is now presented with immaculate, high specification white spaces for all technical deployments, as well as our usual top tier front of house amenities, something our clients continue to take great advantage of at our London Central data centre.
A look at the flooring in Data Hall 3 as it moves across the space, towards completionThe floor reaching completion in Data Hall 4, as it hits the door aperture ahead of the door kit being installedA view of the floor in Data Hall 3 as it encloses the mezzanine supports, which will have tiles cut in to fully wrap aroundThe completed raised access floor in the ground floor corridor area, with one of the door kits installed for entry to Data Hall 4The floor being cut in around the access stair case in the atrium on the ground floorThe ground floor access atrium, showing a completed door system alongside an awaiting aperture, as well as the differing floor layouts across each space, so as to reflect the ceiling grids in each space exactly – thresholds will be installed between roomsA look at the doors installed in the Build Room and Customer Breakout Area, showing a solid twin-leaf riser door set on the left, and the main room access door on the right, ajarAn open door set for entry into Data Hall 3 – all data halls have the same double-door setup for easy access with equipmentA look down the first floor corridor, with all door sets now installedA set of solid twin-leaf doors for entry into one of our LV rooms, with a view out onto the ground floor loading platform in the warehouse area – our fully-integrated Paxton door access systems can also be seen here, as part of the door handle assemblyA final pass of envelope finishing works are now also underway, with this shot showing a new custom finishing trim installed to cover the ground-to-first floor joining seam in our double-height atriumHere we see a pair of UPS’s and their associated battery enclosures, along with a set of core network racks, which are being held in one of our LV rooms – with temporary dust bags / wraps still in placeThis is an exciting shot, showing the first client enclosures placed in Data Hall 1, which gives an idea of real-world placement for the first timeThis angle shows placement of the first vent tiles, which will supply cool air from the underfloor plenum to the first pod of racks in Data Hall 1This contextual angle shows the placed racks in relation to the cooling plant, now sited at the rear of Data Hall 1, backing onto the cold corridorHere we see four CRECs in place on their custom plinths in Data Hall 1, which will cool the opening phase of this space, to be followed by a further four units when requiredThis is a closer look at the next-generation CREC system that we’re installing at NLE, ahead of a fully custom blanking system for the currently empty cooler bays, which will also house our custom extraction systemA night time exterior shot, taken from the front compound, looking towards our warehouse and loading bay
As you can see in some of the shots of our new doors above, we’re using a fully integrated Paxton system, with the card readers forming part of the handle assembly. This not only keeps our facility access installation as neat and as clean as possible, but will also massively improve the time to onlining the system, as these readers operate wirelessly.
We’ve also been working on some addition access infrastructure, including our main entrance turnstile, and the pedestrian access gates which lead from reception into the technical side of the facility; more on this next time.
All of our lighting cable specifications are now with our manufacturer, who are going to be assembling these for us for compatibility with our Klik system. These are all being made to length, using the specialist Klik hardware, which will enable rapid installation to the overhead grid once it all arrives on-site. This will allow us to light all rooms using the overhead LED panels, and allow for the removal of all temporary site lighting.
We’re incredibly excited to have reached this point, as we now begin what will be the most critical phase of technical works – preparing to properly energise the facility. This is still a little way off of course, however we are now moving into the set of works that will enable this to happen.
What else has been happening?
After a lengthy wait while we got everything just right, we’re now also in a position to tease our new van, which will be the first of our new fleet – aptly named ‘001’.
The side of our van features both our main logo, as well as an oversized matt finish logomark as an abstract backgroundThe rear of the van features a full Chapter 8 chevron kit, as well as more detailing on the door panels – amber light bar still to follow
This, coupled with our custom flight cases, makes inter-facility migrations and new deployments an absolute breeze.
Since our last instalment of the build blog, we’ve also seen new restrictions come into play with regards to the national response to COVID-19. We are of course following these guidelines closely, as we did during the first set of restrictions earlier this year, and will continue to do so.
As a result, we’ve now implemented Test and Trace QR codes at both of our sites, which should be used during normal check in procedures. This helps us to keep everyone safe, and to keep our facilities running without a hitch 24×7, as your businesses rely more heavily than ever before on remote services held within data centres.
What’s next?
With the envelope now complete, we will be moving onto electrical works in the very near future. This includes both internal LV work, and external HV work.
On the lead up to this next phase beginning, we will be undertaking a wide range of tasks to bring other aspects of the project either to completion, or to a stage that makes their completion post-electrical works much more straight forward.
We have three more weeks of fantastic progress on-site at NLE to report, as we rapidly approach completion of the internal envelope.
We’ve seen dramatic changes across the entire facility, as the raised access floor begins to be installed throughout the building, supplemented by ongoing works across a wide range of areas.
Weekly overview
We’re now beginning to see the finished floor surface in the technical spaces for the first time, following the top surface leak protection coating which has been applied to the first floor mezzanine structure.
Aside from the hanging of the internal doors and some cooling plant integration to the rear of each hall, the data halls are now essentially complete, ahead of the first items of equipment rolling into place next month.
Klik box, conduit and bulkhead installations have now begun across the entire facilityThe entrance to the technical side of the facility has now had its aperture cut in, which takes visitors into the double-height atriumA look directly up as you head through into the double-height atriumLet there be light: the atrium was the first area to have all overhead LEDs lit up for the first timeThe lift shaft wall has now been clad in MDF, which will serve as a backing surface for our double height green wallAnother view of the newly clad lift shaft wall, including some of the finishing trimsThe first floor access corridor was the second space to have its overhead LED panels lit upThe protective leak coating is seen in place here, now covering the entire first floor, with some additional Correx protection in place as raised access floor materials begin to land in each first floor roomA look at the lift shaft assembly and access door in the first floor atriumThe lift base on the ground floor has now been coated in the same hard wearing epoxy coating as laid on the first floorRaised access flooring materials landing in each room on-siteRaised access flooring materials landing in each room on-siteRaised access flooring materials landing in each room on-siteWorks begin in Data Hall 1 with respect to the raised access floor systemWorks begin in Data Hall 1 with respect to the raised access floor systemA look at some of the pedestals as they begin to be unpacked and prepared for installationThe raised access floor begins to take shape in Data Hall 1The raised floor taking shape in Data Hall 1The finished floor height as seen in the upstairs landing and atrium area, now finished to the lift doorThe finished floor in the first floor corridor now meeting the floor in Data Hall 1, awaiting the installed door frame and doorsA look along the first floor corridor, with the raised floor now in place, with finishing works still underwayThe floor surface now complete in Data Hall 2
Alongside the mezzanine floor surface protection paint, which you can see above, we’ve also completely silicone sealed each room to complete the leak protection in each hall. The cold corridors in each hall will also have a full vinyl tank installed, as the areas which house the CREC units themselves.
We’ve begun lighting the facility with the final overhead LED panels, by temporarily wiring up each of the newly installed Klik boxes. The Klik system allows for rapid installation, along with enhanced control and functionality, including emergency lighting and PIR sensors.
Emergency exit pathways have begun to become more clearly visible in their final guise, with the installation of the emergency LED bulkheads that will light the way to the nearest exit once the facility is open to clients.
Quite a considerable amount of time over the past couple of weeks has been spent in the movement of materials from ingress to final point of use, as the second container of raised access flooring materials arrived with us (not photographed this time around). This has enabled the on-site trades to continue to work at pace as we approach finalisation on the internal envelope.
What’s next?
Works on the floors and access doors will continue into the beginning of November, along with some final finishing trims, which will take the envelope to completion.
The doors have already begun to go in, however we’re saving those shots for the next instalment of the blog, to give a clearer picture of the finished envelope.
Next time around, we’ll also be able to show the completed emergency exit gantry which is now installed at the rear of the facility, which gives a new emergency exit pathway to the rear of the first floor.
Our van is now also complete, but again we’re going to wait for a final detail on that before showing photos – so watch this space!
Further impressive progress to report on finalising the envelope this time around, as we prepare for the final stages of this phase, taking us to the end of our first six months on-site at NLE.
Weekly overview
Week 26 marks exactly half a year on-site at London East. This is quite the milestone, and while we did encounter several minor delays at the beginning of the project (thanks to the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic), we’re enormously proud of what’s been achieved in that time.
Much of the first seven or eight weeks were spent undertaking small-scale works in the office to prepare it for housing our management team when on-site at NLE. So realistically, it’s fairer to say that the broader strokes of the project have only been in effect for four solid months, which makes progress – in our eyes at least – all the more impressive.
We’ve had the envelope trades on-site over the past two weeks to continue progress, taking things to the point of readiness for our raised access floors to be installed. The materials for this phase have begun to land with us from our manufacturers in South Africa, the first container of which is seen arriving below.
Our new office power distribution is now in place, segregating the NOC and office power systems from the main facilityAs a result of the office distribution board being installed, we’ve also been able to power up our new NOC logo spot lights for the first timeThe first raised access floor materials container arriving for unloading at NLEThis first container holds around half of the required flooring material, which will total well over 30 tonnesSome of the tile stacks standing in the warehouse entrance ahead of distribution throughout the buildingMore floor tiles awaiting distribution inside the facility, waiting for action in our compoundA look at progress on the main envelope structure – this shows the temporary door openings for goods access to both the ground and first floorsA look at what will become the entrance way to the technical spaces at NLEThe view from the warehouse / loading bay into the ground floor access corridors, with the entrance to one of the main LV rooms on the leftA look down the main ground floor access corridor with the ceiling grid now in place, along with test placement lights and tilesThe view inside Data Hall 3, with the completed grid, as seen from what will be the cold corridorThe view from the doorway of Data Hall 4, looking towards the inter-floor access atriumA shot from inside the second LV room, looking out towards the stairs and lift shaft, with one of our main service risers shown on the rightA look inside the customer lounge and build room, which shows the topside of the service riser as seen aboveA skyward view of the double-height atrium as seen from the half landing on our custom staircase, ahead of ceiling installationThe top landing of the access atrium, with the partially installed lift mechanism in place on the left hand sideA view from the doorway of Data Hall 2, with the resin floor coating now down to protect the top surface, which will be underneath our raised access floorAnother view of the floor now sealed, showing the access door that will lead into the first floor cold corridor at the rear of each hallThe cold corridor will also have a vinyl tank installed, which will be in place to provide added protection where our new cooling system lives (as also seen at NLC)A view out to the warehouse / loading bay, from the first floor access corridor, which will be the main lifting point for materials and incoming client hardware destined for the first floorThe view from underneath our storage mezzanine, looking towards the roller shutter and newly installed wall behind the fork lift, with our on-site workshop area just visible to the leftThe ceiling coming together in the main access atriumThe lift shaft progressed further this time around, with the shaft walls reaching the first floor, and the lifting gear / platform test fittedA look at the composite ceiling as installed in the cold corridor in Data Hall 3, which will form part of the hot air extraction plenumThe first full placement of our evaporative cooling plant plinths in Data Hall 2, which will hold the CREC units in this hall when fitted out – these will sit under the raise floorA closer look at the plinths in place in Data Hall 2This side of the custom built plinths will sit inside the cold corridor, and have an access hatch / door for the quick replacement of bag filters without need to lift floor tiles in the data hallThe front side of the plinths show the apertures for pushing cold air into the underfloor void, and will also house the bag filters for each cooler; the integral leak detection equipment in each plinth can be seen in blackAs at NLC, we are also installing a supplementary CRAC system in each data hall, with the custom adjustable plinths for these units seen on the opposite side of the room
As you can see, we’re now tantalisingly close to having our completed internal shell handed over to us. We just have the raised access flooring left to go at this point, along with the doors and some final checkerplate wall protection that will follow later down the line.
Having the shell completed will allow for the next phase of the project to begin, that being containment and electrical. While this is underway, we will also be orchestrating the installation of our evaporative cooling system into Data Hall 1.
One of the most exciting points of the project we’ve reached so far is the placement of our first machine plinths, which will hold our cooling system; both the primary evaporative and secondary / supplementary air conditioning units. These are the first pieces of equipment to be placed in their final positions on-site, and while we’re still a fair way off seeing any actual air be pushed through them to live client equipment, we’re very happy to see them sat in place none-the-less!
What’s next?
Next up, the raised access floor will be installed. This will bring the internal shell to a point of completion that allows for the next major phase of the project to begin.
We’ll also be undertaking another deep clean of the facility at this point, to ensure the site is ready for the less invasive, non-construction type works to push ahead inside properly prepared clean spaces.
