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Cloud House Phase I, Digital Realty

Mechanical & Electrical Installation

Digital Realty required the design and build of a new data hall as well as the build and fit-out of office facilities within an existing data centre located in London. Experienced in this sector, Gratte Brothers Building Services & Engineering (GBL) was appointed as the Principal Contractor, to deliver the complete Mechanical & Electrical services package and all associated builderswork.

Project Information

Client:
Digital Realty
Main Contractor:
Gratte Brothers Limited
Sector:
Data Centre
Duration:
18 Months
Services:
Mechanical & Electrical Installation

Project Overview

Gratte Brothers was appointed Principal Contractor to undertake the conversion of a fallow space into an operational data hall. This required a full MEP installation, with the electrical requirements including new medium and low-voltage switchgear, UPS, generators, busbar, power distribution units, fire alarms, CCTV and access control.

Mechanical services included a chilled water distribution system, VRF and DX cooling, water mist systems, leak detection, public health services and a building management system. As the Principal Contractor, we were also responsible for delivering all associated builderswork, which included raised flooring, fit out of a new office space and meeting rooms, plant rooms, fire-rated risers, fire stopping and steelwork.

Pioneering Dock Water Cooling System

Cloud House is powered entirely by renewable energy and to maintain this focus, we delivered a pioneering dock water cooling system on this project, which is 20 times more efficient than conventional cooling. To install this system, a diving team of four divers were employed to connect the pumps through the dock walls underwater. The equipment in the basement was then connected to the installed system on the dock walls by a trench in the pedestrian areas.

This system works by taking water from the local Millwall inner dock, which is used as process water in the data centre, helping to cool it and meet the necessary conditions for the IT load AC system. A combination of sensors and controls ensure that only the required volume of water is drawn, reducing energy consumption, and minimising waste. The dock water is also drawn into the building through a primary set of pipes, with the flow rates dictated by inverter driven pumps that respond to the building’s cooling demands.

This water is then passed through a plate heat exchanger, which acts as the cooling medium for the building chiller water loop transported through Cloud House’s air flow system, through the floor vents into the cold aisle containment, which in turn cools the racks.

Environmental Credentials

Gratte Brothers was responsible for ensuring the environmental credentials of the project, which ultimately achieved a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating of Excellent. Cloud House Phase 1 was registered under the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CSS), which encourages best practice beyond statutory requirements within the construction industry and formed the key basis for a credit within the BREEAM certification.

Information around the materials used, site travel, commissioning methodology as well as the installation and implementation of sustainability initiatives was submitted to an external consultant for consideration over the course of the project with a bespoke travel calculator developed for the project to measure the environmental impact of our staff and site activities. Calculations included the distance travelled by the individual operatives on site, material deliveries and the waste management companies collecting skips from site. The project also recycled 100% of all on-site waste.

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