The final stages of phase one are progressing nicely, with a wide range of commissioning and integration works now underway across the site.
It’s very exciting to see critical systems that will soon be delivering service to end users begin to come online, with hardware now starting to land in core and distribution racks for the first time.
Weekly overview
It’s been another busy few weeks on-site at London East, with the bulk of our time and effort now spent on technical commissioning work, and on the completion of outstanding finer details, as we head towards the end of the year.
Our heads are very much down as we approach the holiday period, to ensure that we reach our status targets before the new year. As such, we’ll keep this post brief, and move straight onto the photographic updates.
Our compound security fence has had its signage applied, which includes warnings about CCTV, razor wire, and other important informational signs – these span the full length, and all facesThe main visitor entry point to the facility has now been completed, including full privacy / security panelling, and our site name vinyls – London Central is having brand new panels and updated vinyls installed to match very soonThe CRAC and comfort cooling condenser plant is now fully installed and commissioned, and sits in a corner of the main compound – this will have its own small sub-fence installed as part of phase twoA look across the front compound to our generators, which have now had their identifier vinyls appliedThe simple yet bold branding found throughout NLE continues outside, with the large format numbering now in place on our four generatorsAll interior signage is now complete, with this view showing the first floor directional signage in the main corridor, to direct visitors as they leave the lift and staircase atriumAll four of our riser access areas have had custom grills installed, to allow for safe and easy engineer access at any level – these are custom-cut GRP grills, installed on a custom steel frame, unique to each riser and their various penetrationsThe data hall cooling control systems are now full commissioned, and the area is now being actively controlled by the new system – here we see the main status screen for Data Hall 1, which has had a fully custom holding display built to show real-time information from within the spaceThe final stages of the power system commissioning works are underway, which includes all integration settings on our main switchboards – this is a view of the main status screen in LV BThe network rollout has begun at the core, which will be followed shortly thereafter by aggregation and management roll-out in the data halls – here we see ODF B in Data Hall 1 being prepared for fit-outThis is the temporary setup in ODF B, which enabled some of the commissioning works to proceed ahead of having the main network in place – this also shows the custom vertical mounting arrangement we’ve deployed in these cabinets, to house switchesHere we see the UPSs in LV B at around 75% completion, pending the final UPS being rolled into place in the empty position on the left, which is as far as this room will see deployment during phase oneThis is the front view in LV A, showing the fully completed UPS setupThe rear view of the UPS arrangement in LV A, with this space now phase one complete (aside from finishing touches to come post-commissioning)The staging of our own core has now begun for both A and B sides – here we see the A side, with the main comms rack now staged ahead of cabling, which will happen once the ODF is also fitted out in the coming days, at which point the side panels will be fitted back onto the main rackHere we see the B side, which again has the ODF fit-out to follow – this side contains some of the BT infrastructure delivered to site, so is further along in terms of deployment
We’re very pleased with progress, and we are very much enjoying the sight of things coming together. Being at the point whereby hardware is being installed into racks is another major milestone in this project, and an aspect of the build that our team tend to enjoy most as data centre professionals. This is when the facility begins to truly come to life, and systems are interconnected and brought into the Netwise ecosystem for the first time.
While there’s still plenty to be done in the weeks leading up to Christmas, we’re also all looking forward to our company Christmas party, which is now only a week or so away. We’ve got plenty to look back on this year, so we’re thrilled to get everyone together and celebrate our achievements.
What’s next?
Commissioning and integration will consume the bulk of our time on-site at NLE, ahead of the holidays. This will prepare the space for occupation in January. We’re extremely excited to see the new site integrated into our existing architecture in the coming weeks, becoming the fifth major POP on our metro network.
We’re also getting into the Christmas sprit on-site, which is always nice!
We breathed life into many of the main power systems for the first time in this instalment, with commissioning actions underway on our primary switchboards and our backup generator systems.
The push towards phase one completion has seen many exciting milestone events reached in a short space of time, which is always great to see. We’ve energised the main switchboards, integrated and tested the generator failover, and removed the temporary site power, amongst a range of other system commissioning tasks.
Weekly overview
Things are sharpening up quickly on-site, as a wide range of systems begin to spin to life for testing and commissioning, ready to begin serving client kit in due course.
We’ve hit a number of milestones this time around, including the testing and commissioning of our cooling systems throughout the building (both critical and comfort), and the same point reached on our fire detection and extinguishant panels, both building-wide and the enhanced systems in critical spaces.
The speedgate area has been carpeted through from the main entrance and reception, to finish off the space ready for client arrivalsThe cooling systems throughout the building have now been commissioned and tested, with cold and warm air now available in all critical spacesOur UPS commissioning is well underway, with the main units now interconnected with the UPS output boardsThe building is now powered through the primary switchgear and distribution boards, with all temporary site power now fully decommissioned and removed A look across Data Hall 1 after it’s had its initial post-work clean, with one of the supplementary AC units open for commissioningA look across Data Hall 1, towards the first pod of racksThe four CREC units have now been brought to life, with cooling, recirculation and extraction now tested and provenBoth the primary CREC and supplementary CRAC systems feed into the shared underfloor plenum, which will distribute closely controlled air to all footprints in DH1The entrance into the cold corridor in Data Hall 1 is the first view of our new signage design language (just visible here!)The view towards the A-side power distribution in Data Hall 1, with ODF A visible on the right hand sideThe primary CREC system has now had all filters installed – here we see the 28x quad-fin air intake filters, this being the first layer of filtration before hitting the multi-stage filtration inside each coolerIt’s been very exciting to see the cooling system spun up for the first time, and fantastic to see the real-world culmination of all our design and simulation workHere we see some of the detail as you enter the cold corridor from Data Hall 1, showing the lighting system and the access hatch for the otherwise-sealed extraction loopOur warehouse and loading bay now has large floor lettering / numbering on each receiving dock door for quick and easy identification while loading and/or unloadingThese large format letters / numbers all form part of our new design language, which has now begun to roll out throughout the facilityWe’ve opted for a more modern approach to our signage at London East, an evolution of the design at London Central – simplicity and clarity is the main order of the day hereAll internal signage is now direct-application vinyl, in our custom font to match all digital and print assets – aside from a few 3D logo and type elementsHere we see one of the larger multi-directional signs to guide visitors around the facilityEach corridor and main customer route has multi-directional signage in place to guide visitors through the buildingThe frosted / etch effect pod door vinyls have returned, as found at NLC as part of our rebrand in 2019Visitors will now see wifi access points and access control beacons in various places throughout the facility – the wifi is an extension of the mesh deployed at London Central, meaning you’ll automatically connect at East if you’ve already done so at Central
As you can imagine, with much of the work on-site now commissioning actions, presenting this visually for the build blog is tricky. We’re hoping to put together another fly-through video soon, to show phase one completion.
Another unseen but extremely critical area which reached completion this time around is our fire stopping, which has now seen all additional wall apertures cut in since initial construction fully sealed and certified. This ensures that the building fully complies with our extremely strict fire design and operation policies.
With all of the broad strokes of the project now complete, we’re able to begin working through the more detailed finishing work, while system commissioning actions continue.
What’s next?
As is to be expected at this point in the project, more of the same.
We’re quickly moving towards welcoming in our first client systems, with the final set of work ahead of this to focus on UPS systems, network integration, and general facility commissioning (things like onlining our NOC for CCTV and systems monitoring).
The pace has certainly picked up now, as we push towards phase one completion at London East.
This acute focus has left little time for the blog, and as broad strokes visual change has slowed down at this point, we’ve put together a four week short summary of the last month on-site at NLE.
Weekly overview
Phase one completion will see the facility ready to take its first clients, which is an enormous milestone for us here at Netwise.
There will still be some ongoing works beyond phase one, which will include things like our customer lounge and some other secondary niceties, as primary focus at this point is getting the technical spaces completed and ready to receive live client systems.
Looking slightly further ahead still, phase two will involve the preparation and roll-out of further technical space, making use of the other data halls, which given the amount of work put in ahead of time for this will certainly come to fruition much more quickly. This is expected in 2022, and will be based on a dynamic roll-out schedule, driven largely by demand.
The largest area of progress in this instalment of the build blog has been centred around air conditioning. This is not our primary cooling source in the technical spaces at NLE, with that role falling to our extremely efficient adiabatic systems, however traditional AC does still play a crucial role in both supplementary cooling in critical spaces, and comfort cooling in customer and staff areas.
This is a view inside the cooling control system unit for Data Hall 1, as the internal termination reaches completion The pipework for both the supplementary CRAC systems and the comfort cooling throughout the building are comprised of some very long pipe runs, depending on the location of the internal equipmentSome of the pipe runs for the AC systems have been fairly complex, because of their routes, and because of how split systems have their pipework distributed between endpoints One of the main convergent runs of AC pipework can be found on our storage mezzanine, as the runs cross towards the exterior condenser areaHere we see one of the main runs coming together, which traverses the storage mezzanine before reaching the exterior skin and turning down towards the point of exitPower cabling also joins the pipework runs, with drainage to followHere’s a snapshot of the complex manifold work happening in one of the ceilings, as the split systems are evenly distributed to ensure even pressureThis is the AC unit in the build room and customer breakout area, as the cabling begins to be terminated internallyAll comfort cooling systems have in-room control panelsThis is the control panel for the system in another customer amenity space, which also allows for remote operation and monitoringHere we see some of the external condensers being worked on by our AC engineersThe external condensers are laid out in a grid which enables plenty of future growth The larger condensers here are for the supplementary downflow units in the data halls, temporarily stood on their rubber feet ahead of permanent fixture Here we see the overhead lighting system installation underway in the cold corridor area for Data Hall 1 – this is where external air is filtered and processed for our primary CRAC systemThe UPSs and UPS switchboards are now in place and terminated in LV B, to match the state in LV AOur main LV switchboards in both LV rooms have now had their line diagram vinyls fitted, taking both boards to completion ahead of energisation for commissioning and setupThe line diagrams are fitted to all switchboards, including the smaller sub-boards for the UPS systemsHere we see one of our custom designed security panels fitted to Pod 1 in Data Hall 1, for the privatisation of racks within said containment systemWe’ve now fitted the razor wire to the top of our compound fencing, which aside from adding electric motor controls to the main gate, takes this area to completionThe razor wire now runs the entire perimeter of the facilityWe designed a custom implementation of the razor wire retention system to allow for the retraction of our large vehicle access gateAs part of the final stage of work, we’ve had any construction marks and / or damage on our metal clad panel walls repaired, which included full panel respraying where necessaryAny panels with damage incurred during the build have been returned to factory conditionThe spray team were able to achieve a truly flawless finishWe’re very pleased with the outcome of the retouch and repair works undertaken throughout the facilityThe VESDA pipework has now been installed in both LV rooms
As you can see, NLE is still an extremely busy site, with lots of finishing stage work underway. Yet so much more of the work being undertaken at this point is not of a visual nature; commissioning of power systems, access control, network setup, CCTV etc, these are all tasks with little to photograph. However progress across all of these areas will be relayed when suitable.
We’re certainly entering into an exciting period of the build, as major systems begin to see energisation for the first time.
What’s next?
More of the same as we head towards phase one end-out. Keep your eyes peeled for the next instalment of the blog, which will show much of the major infrastructure being onlined for the first time!
Now that raised floors have started to go back down, and termination of cabling is essentially complete, impactful visual change has slowed down slightly, however progress is still pushing forwards at great pace.
We’ve been preparing for some of the final trades to land on site to end-out phase one, which will include the CRAC pipework team and the wall fabrication team from earlier in the project, who will be finishing off some of the final cooling system segregation now that the fans are installed.
Weekly overview
Much of the change this time centres around supplementary cooling, VESDA / fire panels, and data cabling for things such as CCTV, access control and monitoring / system control.
We’re now very much in the end-out phase of the project at this point, which means that various elements that until now were operating separately are coming together quickly.
For example, our evaporative cooling units are now connected back to both their power delivery and control systems, meaning that they will soon be ready for their first spin up and test. This is the same for a number of the core systems which make up the infrastructure of the facility.
We now have most of the building-wide comfort cooling in place for client and staff areas, including here in the build room and customer loungeHere we see the ceiling mounted AC unit mirrored on the other side of the building, and the same units are now also present in the NOC / officeWe’ve also got three high performance models installed in each of the LV rooms, with room for a fourth in due course as and when required based on UPS expansionOur VESDA pipework is now installed in Data Hall 1 and pre-emptively in Data Hall 2This is the view of the installation in Data Hall 2, which we are pre-staging for future use, along with all other baseline infrastructure – this will speed up the commissioning process for this hall dramatically once it’s neededThis is the view of the VESDA installation in Data Hall 1This is a slightly wider view of the VESDA installation in Data Hall 1, showing the various sampling pathways as they leave the main unit, and also showing the B-side PDUs for distribution to client racks, and the earthing bar for the hallHere we see the VESDA pipework installed in Data Hall 2, along the blanking system at the rear which will eventually house the CRECs for this hallThe CREC units in Data Hall 1 have now had their power and control system cables installed, which brings them up to readiness for commissioning in due courseThe ODFs in Data Hall 1 are starting to take shape, with containment now run in from both high and low levels – here, one of the newly installed cleaner sockets is also visible, as part of a wider ring installed throughout the building to support such requirementsThis is the B-side ODF, with a range of cabling now run back to it to support various functions in Data Hall 1, such as CCTV, monitoring and system controlsHere we see the entrance to the first committed private pod in Data Hall 1, which after some forthcoming adjustments to access control and visual identity, will be handed over to the client in Q4Another view of the pod entry door systems that we use with our APC racking and containment system, which are operated electronicallyThis floating, conduit-free cleaners socket is achieved by ensuring that it backs onto one of our risers, meaning all containment for the cabling is hidden from view, something we have done wherever possible for a clean installationThis is the cleaners socket as installed alongside ODF B in Data Hall 1, which due to its positioning does require conduit access to under floor containmentThe UPS boards are now landing back in place in both LV rooms, having been removed during the flood cabling processAnother view of the PDUs which distribute B-side power in Data Hall 1, with all internals now completely terminated, and ready to hand-off power to client racksWe now have our new reception desk standing in place, which will be finished with branding and a glass security and visitor flow system in due courseAnother view of the reception desk as placed in an approximation of its final position
We’re getting to the point at which photographing visual change is likely to slow down somewhat, as we move onto more detailed work such as the interconnection of critical systems, and the onlining of various electrical elements including CCTV and door access control.
Excitement is starting to build as the many months of extremely hard work from all those involved begins to show its final fruits, which will become all the more exciting as we start to see systems roar into life.
What’s next?
While build and installation works will continue in a few final areas – such as CRAC pipework, final airflow containment for extraction in Data Hall 1, and the end stages of general system containment – we are now also in a position to begin the early-stage commissioning process.
We are entering an exciting phase of the project, as things finally begin to slot back into place after a good few months of ordered chaos; a necessary evil associated with the extensive electrical work required to take the building from completed shell to functioning data centre.
Over the next few weeks, we expect to see the site visually return to a state of completion (for phase one), at which point the site will be onlined, and commissioning of critical systems will begin in earnest.
We have more exciting progress to share in this instalment of the Build Blog, as cabling continues to run into the facility at pace.
This progress has been seen across the board, from the largest runs out to external connection points, right down to the smallest termination points inside of the Data Hall PDUs.
Weekly overview
In the last two weeks, we’ve doubled the labour force involved in the electrical side of the project, adding a dedicated cable gang to the on-site trades to help push through the final cable runs, most of which are very substantial armoured cables.
This has seen the vast majority of the on-site cable drums emptied and returned to the vendor, as the cables now lay in place, with termination well underway across the board.
We also have a dedicated jointer on-site, who is heading up much of the largest termination activity, such as inside the generator canopies.
The first set of cables that make use of the external ladder runs out to the transformer, seen in place hereAnother view of the first set of cables on the transformer-to-LV room routeThis run takes cables all the way out to the transformer enclosure – these are again in a trefoil cleat arrangement, as with the LV Room interlink cablesThe GRP enclosure for the transformer now in place atop the previously poured baseThe cables that connect to the transformer take a direct route around the perimeter of the front compound, with rear-mounted security panelling to be installed soonAnother view of this particular containment run in the front compoundThis is the view back towards the building, with the containment and cabling penetrating the skin of the building, pending final capping and fireproofingSome of the newly emptied cable drums, which have since had their contents run into the facilityTermination of the main LV boards is now well underway, with a view here inside one of the main enclosures in LV Room AAnother of the main enclosures in LV Room A, with the termination now completeThis is a view of one of the main enclosures prior to any termination, after glandingHere we see one of the same enclosures mid-way through terminationThe same enclosure as it reaches completionThis view under one of the LV Room floors shows the next layer of containment and cabling going in over the top of the base layerA view of some of the ladder work on the first floor, which now contains the runs which will feed Data Hall 1 with protected, conditioned powerA look inside one of the PDUs in Data Hall 1, as the final termination beginsThis view shows some of the cables as they make use of the riser in LV Room BThis is the view of the external containment which heads to the generators, as the cabling nears completionAnother view of the generator cables as they enter the buildingA look across the rear of the generators, where this cabling will soon enter each unitThe generator cables enter the building here, and then pass into LV Room A for onward handling – these holes will all be fire stopped and finished with tight-fitting decorated panelsThe transformer route shown here now contains all cabling as necessary to liven up the site during commissioningAnother view of the transformer cabling, with the earthing now in placeA view of the transformer cabling as it reaches the enclosure, ready for connection into the transformer once that is installedHere we see one of our custom ODFs, of which there are two in Data Hall 1 for diversity – this angle shows the installed overhead cable ladder bridging across to Pod 1The VESDA pipework installation is now underway in Data Hall 1A look at the pipework as it begins to be installed along air pathways, in this case on the supplementary CRAC unit intakes, which now have their automatic dampers fittedThe pipework is also installed along the main CREC exhaust and recirculation louvres
This has been a fantastic fortnight for project development, with tremendous progress on the cabling side of things.
We’ve been very excited to see all of the cabling begin to disappear under the floor and into the risers, ready for termination and testing. We’re also very excited to see some additional visual elements installed, such as the bright red VESDA air sampling pipework.
What’s next?
We will continue with progress on all things electrical. As cable pulling nears completion, focus will shift more completely onto termination, along with supplementary power installations, including small scale non-critical power delivery to things like cleaner’s sockets.
Beyond this, the VESDA pipework installations will continue, and with the arrival of additional cabling for things such as the CREC control and monitoring system, this will also begin to take shape.
