Focus on the Build Blog this time around has been firmly on progress with cabling and containment, which continues to develop across the entire site.
A hefty quantity of the largest internal cabling is now all in place, totalling around 8 tonnes. This will now be terminated, along with a host of smaller internal cabling, while additional large external cabling is run in thereafter, as we head ever closer to energisation at London East.
Weekly overview
We’ll get straight into the photos again this time around, as we take a look at cabling and containment developments on-site at NLE.
As you can see, the main focus here has been on continued progression with cabling and containment, which will continue into the next instalment of the Build Blog.
As always, other works have of course been underway, both in the development of London East, and elsewhere across our ever-growing operation, however we’re keeping this post concise and on topic.
What’s next?
As with the previous ‘what’s next?’ update, we’re looking at more of the same over the next few weeks. We have a vast amount of cabling and termination to undertake, which we hope to see nearing completion by the time we next post to the Build Blog.
We’ll also be moving onto further work on fire and VESDA systems, and will be moving ahead with commissioning on cooling systems, as well as continued work on power, such as the roll out of ‘small power infrastructure’ (supplementary building-wide power sockets for cleaning equipment etc).
Vast changes again this time, as the electrical works push on at pace both inside and outside of the new facility.
While visually the site now appears a little less finished than before, with masses of flooring taken up to accommodate the newly installed containment and cabling, from a more wholistic view point, things are pushing forwards in a big way at the moment.
Weekly overview
The pace of work and progress on-site has certainly been turned up a gear, as multiple trades now work together on various aspects of the facility’s power systems, alongside work on other related areas to maintain solid progression throughout.
We have a lot of photos to present this time around, so rather than spending too much time on the introduction, we’ll let them do the talking.
As you can see, it’s been a busy few weeks on-site here at NLE.
Things are certainly ramping up as we move into the closing stages of the opening phase of the project, which will allow our first clients to install kit into Data Hall 1.
It’s certainly a rather intense time to be a part of the NLE project, as multiple trades push on with various aspects of the build in tandem, ultimately taking us towards the finish line at pace, and in line with expectations on our phase one launch.
What’s next?
For the time being, much of the same. Progress will continue on electrical over the coming weeks, and we will also be pushing ahead with other areas, including the various cooling systems throughout the facility.
We have a very exciting instalment of the build blog this time around, as we see masses of containment and cabling begin to roll into position at London East, along with civil works for our HV mains incomers.
This is another major turning point in the development of the new facility, as we head ever closer to energising the site ready for client deployments.
Weekly overview
Massive change has begun in earnest this week, as masses of under floor containment begins to flow into Data Hall 1. This has been flood cabled, and the installation team will then move onto the main containment runs which allow for cabling between the upstairs data halls and the downstairs LV rooms.
We’ve also got major civils happening both on-site and in the local area, as our incomers make their way to us, along with our first dark fibre links.
As you can see, things are changing rapidly now that the main electrical works are underway. Next week, we’re expecting to see completion on the in-room work for Data Hall 1, meaning containment works will begin in the LV rooms, and all of the runs in between.
We’re now eagerly awaiting the arrival of the large LV switchboards, which will be an exciting development for us. It’s a part of the project that we’ve been excited to see take shape, and an area of enormous financial investment.
While the base of the transformer may appear to be a somewhat simple hole in the ground, and a straightforward concrete pour, in reality it’s anything but. The internal rebar structure has been welded on-site, and is bonded directly to very deep earthing rods to ensure safety during operation.
Once Data Hall 1 is phase one complete on commando cabling, our team will move in to complete some additional items, including M&E feeds for cooling, VESDA pipework, ODF installation for network and fibre, and other related containment and cabling pieces.
What else has been happening?
We’ve extended our reach in Telehouse through to North 2.
As part of a private client deployment, we’ve rolled out two new racks in North 2, and as part of this we’ve now got diverse 10Gbps feeds from our network delivered into the building, from our Supernode in North, and our core node in HEX / LD8.
We’re excited to see our network continue to grow, reaching new facilities as our transit proposition helps business grow their presence online.
What’s next?
We’ve really just got lots of the same coming up; containment and cabling for the most part, throughout the facility, as we head towards energisation.
This will include works on the HV and transformer side, and will lead onto various M&E works including cooling power, data, control, and further leading on from that, VESDA air sample pipework.
Another period of exciting change and development on-site at NLE, as we continue to move towards phase one completion and readiness for the first clients to enter Data Hall 1.
We’ve seen the most notable changes in cooling and electrical, with major physical advancements in both of these critical areas.
Weekly overview
This latest period of work most keenly focused on major adjustments to our roof, through the installation of seven custom exhaust cowls which form the atmospheric extraction loop for the evaporative cooling system in Data Hall 1.
We’re very happy with progress over the past few weeks, as we march further into the final stage of deployment for phase one.
Much of the work this time around has been labour intensive and highly physical, resulting in massive adjustments to both the cooling and electrical sides of the project. This all sets up nicely for the building-wide under floor containment to be installed from next week, leading into a four week period of high-activity on-site as the facility is energised.
We’ve reached a relatively pivotal point in the project now, in that the dominoes we’ve been lining up throughout the last few weeks / months are now ready to be pushed, which will lead to massive change in the next four to six weeks. Ultimately, this next phase will take us through to onlining and commissioning, and put us in a position to bring the first client systems online, and launch the site as phase one (aka Data Hall 1) completes.
What else has been happening?
Aside to the usual build works, we’ve also been hard at work implementing wider improvements across our operation.
Our London Central facility enjoyed a deep clean last week, including a full re-coating of the anti-static floor in all technical spaces.
We upgraded our core routing fabric in Telehouse North, as we prepare to deploy additional capacity in Telehouse North 2 next month. This is something we’re very excited about, as we move into the newest building on the Telehouse Docklands campus for the first time. We’ll be upgrading our Harbour Exchange / LD8 and City Lifeline fabrics very soon.
Civil works have now begun on both our grid feeds and our main fibre incomers, with visible roadworks now underway in the area surrounding our new facility. We’re very excited to see these critical services edge ever-closer to the site, ready for connection and use.
What’s next?
In the next week or so, the energisation process begins. This will last around a month, taking us from the current state to having full and final energy pathways deployed within the facility. This includes the work in getting our new feeds from the grid to our building.
Netwise, London’s leading independent data centre operator, has today announced that international fibre infrastructure provider, Zayo Group, will be the first major Tier 1 carrier to officially connect into their new London East data centre (NLE), which is set for launch in mid-2021.
Zayo will provide diverse dark
fibre routes into the new location, providing connections back to Netwise’s
existing core nodes in Telehouse North and Equinix LD8.
With its central location in the
East London data centre ecosystem, NLE will join the existing suite of major
Telehouse and Global Switch campuses in the area, creating the best-connected
data centre hotspot in the UK.
The new facility will extend
capacity and diversity for Netwise, adding 13,000ft2 to their
private data centre portfolio, joining the 11,000ft2 London Central
site which opened in Bermondsey in 2016.
As well as providing customers
with access to turnkey colocation and connectivity services, available across
the Netwise data centre estate, clients will also have the option to lease dark
fibre routes, allowing for the deployment of high capacity interconnection
services for demanding applications. This will benefit Tier 2 carriers and
managed service providers that need to interconnect active sites at over
100Gbps. The new connectivity service will be provided in addition to existing
Layer 1, Layer 2 and blended transit services available at all on-net Netwise locations.
Netwise London East represents a
new era of efficient, green data centre technology in the region, with a PUE
design figure of just 1.05. This is an exceptionally low PUE for a colocation
facility – particularly in London – delivered through the innovative
application of latest-generation evaporative cooling systems. Similar to the
existing London Central facility, the new site will be powered by 100%
renewable energy sources.
“We’ve used Zayo to deliver
high capacity links elsewhere on our network for quite some time, so this is a
natural evolution of our growing relationship. The diverse route options provided
by Zayo will enable the resilient interconnection of our new London East data
centre with the rest of our core network,” said Matt Seaton, Senior Manager
at Netwise. “We’re excited to see the positive impacts of this efficient,
world-class facility benefit UK clients and beyond.”
“The newest collaboration with Netwise will enable Zayo to meet the growing demands for connectivity solutions in a major European hub,” said Yannick Leboyer, Chief Operating Officer, Europe at Zayo. “Our unique, low latency fibre network will provide high quality connections for service providers in the UK and across Europe.”
Hard hat tours of the new facility have now begun and can be requested by contacting enquiries@netwise.co.uk. The date of the official launch event is currently pending in consideration of pandemic restrictions, but is expected to happen in July 2021.