DURING July, Ark Data Centres made rapid progress at their dedicated data centre campus in Wiltshire.

The steelworks for the second phase of Data Centre SQ17 have been erected in just two weeks, following the resolution of an issue concerning unexpected ground conditions that caused an initial delay.

Work commenced in early April 2013 and the entire shell and core are due for completion in December 2013. Pip Squire, Design & Build Director for Ark said, “We are rapidly expanding our data centre estate to meet the growing demand for high integrity data centres. Module one of SQ17, one of our first facilities, has been operational since December 2010, and two years on the shell will be ready for a further four modules and admin block. Module two’s energy centre slab will be released ready for M&E deployment from the 19th August 2013”

In keeping with Arks sustainable principles and procurement programme, local suppliers and contractors have been utilised to reduce the carbon footprint and to attribute towards a BREEAM certification of excellent and as part of the Considerate Constructors Scheme.

Once complete SQ17 will comprise of six 2MVA modules, all supporting four BIL4 (or up to BIL6 if required) Data Suites which can each hold up to 75 cabinets with average power of 2.66kW.

SQ17 is located in its own secure compound within the external, secure boundary of Spring Park in Corsham, Wiltshire; a site previous owned and still surrounded by the MoD which was selected by Ark for the levels of security it affords and its position relative to an intermodal point on the national grid.

The campus is also home to Data Centre P1, module one of which has been operational since November 2011. Modules two and three were recently completed and the facility boasts a tested and proven low PUE of 1.25. When compared against a traditional data centre running at 2.5 Ark’s solution can save occupiers £1.1 million per megawatt of IT and 6,000 tonnes of carbon per year, for every year of the contract.

As well as being highly energy efficient, Ark continues to roll out their landscape and environmental management plan to increase biodiversity at both their Spring Park and Cody Park campuses. Ark has also met stringent noise conditions as set out during planning; noise attenuation steps have been taken, and tested, to ensure there is no operational noise impact on the nearest receptors.

Stephen Hall, Executive Sales & Marketing Director said, “We have an aggressive growth strategy and have seen our sales pipeline expand exponentially since our recapitalisation last July. The continued development on both campuses to meet customer demand is a true reflection of Arks commitment to deliver data centres that enable the digital capability underpinning our modern economy and public services.”