Setting the tone for socially responsible data centres DIGITAL REPORT 2021
IN ASSOCIATION WITH:
ARK DATA CENTRES
SETTING THE TONE FOR SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE DATA CENTRES
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ARK DATA CENTRES
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ARK DATA CENTRES
Empowering businesses to work from anywhere in the world with mission critical facilities fueled by 100% green energy
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rk Data Centres specialise in the design, construction and operation of high integrity data centres which lead the market in sustainability, deliver optimum security, combined with the highest levels of availability. Ark’s objective is to industrialise the data centre market, eliminating the errors and costs associated with one-off custom-built solutions; favouring the inherent quality, improved performance and economies of a modular, manufactured solution. The green agenda Industry leaders like Amazon, Microsoft and Google are driving uptake in the data centre market and have made categorical statements about their sustainability goals and how they will be achieved. Ark Data Centres openly share similar values and is approaching business in a different way says its CEO Huw Owen. “There’s been too much greenwashing and not enough action,” he says. “We don't think that's good enough, because it's not addressing the actual problems in a meaningful way that effects real change. The data centre industry is hungry on power and water so we need to develop a fit for purpose green agenda.” The last decade has seen a huge and exponential growth in the use of data highlights Owen. “We’re seeing growth in the hundreds of percent when it comes to the amount of storage and power we’re offering. And if you actually look at the growth in power usage, it isn't matching it. Evidently, some good things
have been done to control that, but more needs to be done. And what's achieved that in large part is getting out of the old sweaty real estate data center sites into more modern and sustainable footprints.” Ark’s goal is to create socially responsible data centres via a journey of continuous improvement towards sustainability objectives that benefit both its customers and the planet. Net-Zero connectivity Ark has been sourcing green energy since 2015. All of its facilities are now powered by 100% renewable energy using purely natural sources. “Our customers benefit from the lowest renewable energy prices available in the UK market, while dramatically lowering their own carbon footprint,” reveals Owen. It’s a fundamental approach that informs each stage of Ark’s design, build and operations cycle. All existing sites which have arkdatacentres.co.uk
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www.gratte.com
Specialists in mission critical systems
Telephone 020 7837 6433
Gratte Brothers Group
Gratte Brothers: Mechanical & Electrical Precision Enabling modular and sustainable data centre solutions with resilient engineering Gratte Brothers is a third-generation family business, established in 1946 that has been offering combined M&E solutions for over 35 years; its first data centre project dates back to 1995. During the last six years the company has consistently delivered 30 megawatts of IT power to the mission critical construction market every year. Resilient “We offer specialist knowledge when it comes to resilient engineering services” assures Gratte’s Engineering Director, Remi Suzan. “We’ve worked with DC supply chains for decades, and have good relationships with our manufacturers and specialist subcontractors. Our contract engineers, site managers, and in-house commissioning teams don’t just understand how they work, but ‘why’ they need to work that way, and they bring that deep knowledge to every project.” Modular Gratte Brothers has worked with Ark for over a decade; an integral part of its partner ecosystem developing modular DC solutions with low energy consumption
at their core. “ Together with Ark’s other partner contractors, we worked on developing a modular energy centre that could be associated with the prefabricated data centres that could then be deployed either as a single unit or as multiple units, depending on what Ark needed at the time,” confirms Suzan. “The energy centres containing the UPSs and LV panels were all provided with a cooling system designed on external fresh air. It was calculated that for 98% of the year it could operate without mechanical cooling which was only required in exceptional circumstances at high-peak summer periods.” Sustainable “Ark are way ahead of the game when it comes to sustainability,” reckons Suzan. “Their approach is more than just a green message on their website; they really mean it. Now that we can use adiabatic fresh air cooling systems for IT equipment with heat recovery in all of our air solutions, allied with the use of photovoltaic panels and LED lighting, energy efficiency has greatly improved.”
Engineering energy efficient data centres
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historically leveraged diesel generators are in the process of being transitioned to bio-diesel. For every new London facility Ark is committed to eliminating diesel by deploying back-up gas generators proven to run effectively on up to 30% hydrogen. “We support the UK’s ambition to incrementally increase the hydrogen mix in its utility gas network and we are pushing hard for the tests to be completed which will allow 100% usage,” adds Owen. “Our campuses are ecologically level and feature green areas where wildlife can 8
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coexist. We have eco-toilets on our sites that save thousands of litres of water each year. We’ve also extended our typical rainwater harvesting process to capture water from the roof but also from the run-off of the car parks which can then be filtered and stored. It may involve a more intense filtration process but by re-using this water, we only use the mains to top up the rainwater supply as required, significantly reducing our usage.” Water consumption is a key example where a data centre could either potentially
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add to the problem or employ some innovative thinking. That’s why the team at Ark has developed a water buffering and saving mode for its cooling equipment which reduces the utility water supply requirement from 33 litres to just five litres per second (reducing its original peak water usage by a staggering 85%). Ark’s net zero approach is the adoption of an ethos, not just a box-ticking exercise. Its waste management strategy is to become a “zero waste to landfill business” by reducing
the unnecessary use of raw materials. Simultaneously, Ark aims to encourage re-use of materials and products, and reduce waste to landfill through recycling, composting or energy recovery, leading to a lower environmental impact and positive carbon reductions. Modular data centre design “We’ve partnered with Bladeroom since 2011 developing our ‘data centre in a box’ concept,” explains Ark’s Director of Design, arkdatacentres.co.uk
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Creating A More Responsible Digital Future BladeRoom are global leaders in the provision of highly energy–efficient data centres, manufacturing a sustainable and scalable solution capable of being deployed anywhere in the world.
Watch the future for sustainable data centres
Socially Responsible Data Centres For many businesses, improving sustainability now sits squarely at the top of the agenda and it’s a principle we share with the customers we serve. That’s why our data centres are designed around innovative technology that is proven to dramatically reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. A BladeRoom data centre, with its latest technological advances, uses zero mechanical cooling or refrigerants, and can operate at an annualised PUE of 1.04. This represents less than 4% of the total energy required to power the entire data centre and compared to the industry average, it is over 10 times more efficient. At the scale of a 100MW BladeRoom campus, situated in the UK, this results in annual carbon emission savings of up to 110,000 tonnes. The real and significant reductions in carbon footprint that we are helping our clients to deliver today are the result of our 10-year commitment to innovation and continuous improvement and it is our mission to continue this journey towards a better and more responsible digital future.
Data Centres Don’t Get Any Cooler Than This BladeRoom facilities use an advanced cooling system, maximising free, filtered, ambient air with evaporative cooling. Free cooling is available for up to 100% of the time depending on the climate and supply air setpoints - saving significant cost and carbon emissions. Rather than re-circulating and cooling the hot air from the IT as with traditional data centre cooling, a BladeRoom data centre operates like a server by drawing in highly filtered fresh air, intelligently matching air supply to IT demand and exhausting or partially recirculating warm air from the data centre as required. Evaporative and free cooling enables the IT equipment to be cooled with supply air temperatures of between 18°C and 30 °C for more than 99% of the year in the UK without the need for mechanical cooling across a range of IT loads, still performing efficiently at 15% utilisation of racks.
Why ‘Factory-First’ Matters By manufacturing our data centres in our 110,000ft2 factory, we offer a sustainable alternative to site-based construction which in turn, provides a more resource-efficient way to create socially responsible facilities. Our ‘Factory-first’ production approach allows deliveries to be made to the factory in bulk from local suppliers, minimising transport and heavy goods emissions. Materials are tightly controlled which dramatically reduces waste, with noise and pollution levels minimised, and site-based operational risks are transferred to a more secure environment. Visit our website or follow us on social media to learn more about our commitment to a responsible digital future.
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Construction & Operations, Andy Garvin. “Built off-site, delivered by lorry and then re-erected on site within 14 days of leaving the manufacturing facility it was our first approach towards a volumetric solution.” Now focused on a flat pack solution that can be built off the cladding on site, the design has been developed through various iterations over the past decade to reduce waste and cost. “We’ve developed a really efficient approach with dedicated factory space for Bladeroom to 'build-to- order' for our clients. The standardisation they’ve been able to offer has been really important. We've worked closely with Bladeroom, particularly around the cooling technologies 12
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- we use indirect and direct air solutions. The majority of our data centers are direct air, which allows fresh air to come in. It's conditioned, filtered and then approaches the OT space and is either exhausted or recirculated, depending on the conditions within the room.” Ark also works alongside Bladeroom with Gratte Brothers and JCA to develop improved energy centre solutions. “Gratte Brothers and JCA are our preferred mechanical and electrical engineering partners,” confirms Garvin. Ark were also keen to modularise this process so together the partners came up with a unique solution which not only utilises
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“ The data centre industry is hungry on power and water so we need to develop a fit for purpose green agenda”
HUW OWEN TITLE: CEO INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGY LOCATION: WILTSHIRE, UK Huw Owen joined Ark in November 2012 as Chief Executive Officer to lead a new management team following the recapitalisation of the company. He has held key roles at a number of organisations, including BT Global Services and HP Defence & Security. Previous roles across a diverse career include Chief Executive of the Atlas Consortium, delivering the Ministry of Defence DII (Defence Information Infrastructure) programme. Owen also worked for the Asia Foundation, formulating and driving national reform programmes in Cambodia, as well as advising the United Nations on their efforts in Central Asia. Before this, he served with the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, latterly as a Detective Inspector.
HUW OWEN
CEO, ARK DATA CENTRES
Partnering with the UK Government The UK government utilises a disparate set of data centres of varying scales and efficiencies. Entering the fray when a tender was held in 2013, Ark subsequently won through to secure a deal to partner with the UK Cabinet Office in a joint venture to create Crown Hosting Data Centres to deliver increased efficiency, improved value, and transparency of data centre hosting utilisation across the entire UK Public Sector. Doing just that, Ark delivered £105m in savings which contributed towards over £2bn in savings for the UK government.
EXECUTIVE BIO
the data center cooling to cool the energy center, but also allows Ark to build the energy center off site - improving health and safety while reducing material waste and cost. “Though competitors in the market, Gratte Brothers and JCA are both familyrun businesses that integrate well with Ark,” says Garvin. “They’re really adaptable and always looking to innovate. When we need to ensure speed to market, and in times of crisis like we’ve experienced during the pandemic, we rely on these partnerships to deliver safely to our customers.”
BUILDING THE FUTURE Drawing on a wealth of industry experience, Sweet Projects design and construct specialist buildings for our clients across the Defence, Aerospace and Data industries with unrivalled levels of focus and service.
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SWEET PROJECTS AND ARK DATA CENTRES: CUTTING-EDGE BUILDINGS
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Sweet Projects’ Robert Smart discusses the data centre construction specialist’s philosophy and its close partnership with Ark Data Centres.
worked together for over 14 years, growing and supporting Ark’s development to become one of the UK’s foremost data centre providers."
Sweet Projects are turnkey Design and Build contractors operating in the UK & Europe and provide specialised services to the Advanced Technology, Data and Commercial sectors, as Robert Smart, Executive Director at the company, explains:
Going forwards, Smart is clear that the company is poised to evolve with the latest technologies as they emerge. “Complex projects call for complex solutions and the key area of growth in the last few years has been around the use of Information Technology. At Sweet Projects, we have a clearly defined and continually evolving Digital Strategy which allows us to invest and embrace cutting—edge advances in construction technology to continue to improve our offering — from Building Information Modelling, which allows us to coordinate from design to construction, to Geo-enabled Technologies and Biometrics which set us apart in the physical delivery of projects.” It’s thanks to this approach that Sweet Projects is confident that the partnership with Ark will continue going from strength to strength. “Through these, we can meet the ever-growing demand for security of process and certainty of outcome that our partnership with Ark is based upon. Sharing knowledge through digitised platforms, we take our collaboration to the next level — which ultimately drives future success.”
“Sweet Projects’ modus operandi is simple — provide excellent service and delivery consistent with the expectations of our key clients across the Defence, Data and Aerospace industries. Upholding those values requires being laser-focused on the needs of clients as well as workers. “Our management team consists of high-calibre people with experience across the construction industry,” says Smart. “We are passionate about ensuring safe working environments and protecting the personal health and wellbeing of our employees and supply chain. Health and safety is always at the forefront of our operations.” The company is a committed and long-term partner of UK data centre firm Ark Data Centres. “We are committed to working with and for Ark and to this end, with each other, to deliver for the long-term, providing a strong legacy for Ark’s customers and stakeholders. Testament to our exceptional relationship, founded on delivery and innovation, we've
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Huw Owen from Ark Data Centres talks about sustainability
“ Gratte Brothers and JCA are both familyrun businesses that integrate well with Ark. They’re really adaptable and always looking to innovate” ANDY GARVIN
DIRECTOR OF DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION & OPERATIONS, ARK DATA CENTRES
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“There's a joint board which sits between the government and Ark,” explains Owen. “The framework – procurement, vetting, security and pricing – is pre-done. Instead of having to do procurement, if you take a pound of government money you can utilise that framework, save your management time, save your expense of procurement, and you can use our facilities. We’re highly flexible, you can take it for a month, you can take it for five years, take your reversion release at the end a highly compelling offer. We've been through UK government benchmarking exercises and been found to be right up in the top quartile.” In terms of sustainability goals, Owen estimates that Ark’s involvement has taken the equivalent of 140,000 cars off the road in
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CONNECTIVITY COOLED WITHOUT COMPROMISE Direct Air Cooled Data Centre – Operating free cooling 99% of the year, Ark’s Direct Air technology offers the perfect choice to lower a company’s footprint while also lowering costs. Convenient, green and efficient data centres, with world leading PUE performances.
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carbon savings. The joint venture, accounting for around 45% of Ark’s business. has been extended to 2023 as the UK government seeks to further transform its data centre footprint. Trusted by governments and multinationals alike to deliver flexible and reliable data centre solutions, each new project and partnership is more than just another business transaction for Ark. “A few years back we went through a branding exercise,” recalls Owen. “Our clients were asked to be brutally honest. Their feedback? ‘They’re capable’, ‘A breath of fresh air to do business with’ and most importantly of all, ‘They care’. So, we don’t court awards and adulation, we’re discreet and listen to our customers.”
Indirect Air Cooled Data Centre – Maintaining its industry leading PUE figures, Ark’s Indirect Air Cooled facilities use high tech adiabatic coolers and specifically designed heat exchangers to let companies choose their perfect data centre cooling configuration. Chilled Water Data Centre – Delivering the most robust physical security available, Ark’s mechanical and electrical infrastructure has been developed to compliment the enhanced physical environment while still providing signature benefits – high flexibility and reliability.
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a fully integrated service provider for data centre infrastructure engineering led principal contractor with a proven track record of designing, building and maintaining award-winning and energy efficient data centres
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JCA: dynamic data centre engineering
Watch JCA discuss engineering and their relationship with Ark Data Centres
Providing robust and scalable infrastructure solutions to enable the secure growth of IT systems JCA offers trusted world class engineering services to the data centre sector. Working across the design, construction, operation and maintenance of mission critical facilities for 17 years, JCA takes a holistic view with a pragmatic approach to the benefits and pitfalls of resilient engineering strategies. Expertise “When working with clients like Ark, we appreciate what drives their business and understand their key business goals,” confirms JCA’s Managing Director Tom Absalom. “Engineering expertise we hold can be applied to support our partners’ business plans and market offering. In recent years, we’ve made great strides in terms of reduced CapEx and OpEx, albeit with increased availability and enhanced environmental credentials.” Innovation Keeping pace with the evolutionary cycle of incremental gains, JCA ensures the products it develops and deploys are enhanced over those that have gone before. “That can only happen when you work with organisations with shared goals and strategies for the entire supply chain,” says Absalom. “We make sure everyone is aligned towards a single aim. During our time working with Ark we’ve
progressed through some revolutionary concept designs which have trickled down into the world-class products you see them operating today.” Aspiration “Ark’s commitment to sustainability creates an aspiration for JCA to deliver,” maintains the company’s Chairman and Founder Ian Jackson. “It’s the perfect partnership for us to showcase our desire and commitment to invest in the lifecycle of a building asset through the implementation of new digital building technologies. Equally, we’re investigating and testing new disruptive technologies like Artificial Intelligence to improve waste management controls and also provide the strategic direction to leverage real-time information from other construction sites throughout the country. “We’re fortunate to have customers that share our values and appreciate the advantage collaborative partnerships can bring on a long-term basis. At JCA continuous improvement is key as we strive to enhance our consistency and processes.”
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CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT
ARK DATA CENTRES
ARK DATA CENTRES CEO, HUW OWEN LISTS SIX OF ITS FACILITIES SETTING THE TONE FOR SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE DATA CENTRES IN THE UK: Spring Park, Corsham - 30mw under live operation, 27mw under design & build “Spring Park is where the British government were going to regress in the event of nuclear war - a million square feet of underground space where they once manufactured munitions and fighter planes. Very dense in power and fibre, it’s an excellent site.” Cody Park, Farnborough - 32mw under live operation, 17mw under design & build “When I joined the company in 2012 Cody Park was just a plot of land with two derelict buildings, a large muddy field, and a pond. We’ve come a long way…” Meridian Park, Enfield - 7.5 mw under live operation, 8.5mw under design & build “Meridian Park features a private wire straight into a waste generation plant. It's absolutely compelling, both on an economic basis but also on that green agenda so we can give our customers
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a real, total cost of ownership, which really encourages them to come in for 100% green power.” Union Park, Hayes - 75mw under design & build, 150mva dedicated site power “We’re planning to create our biggest and most ambitious, facility to date at Union Park which promises to set the tone for socially responsible data centres in the UK. We’re optimising power options to make sure what we build together with our clients will be configured to allow them to be as energy efficient and sustainable as possible.” Longcross Park, Chertsey - 30mw under design & build, 90mba dedicated site power “We’re creating a purpose built 385,000 square foot facility. The data centre campus is part of the Enterprise M3 zone and is the first commercial development on the 300acre Longcross Garden Village.” Alliance Park (Park Royal), London - under planning consultation, going live 2023 “We were delighted to acquire the Alliance Park site from Renault Retail Group. Our customers have an expectation for us to be both socially responsible, as well as provide best-in-class, market leading data centres in the locations where we can have the greatest impact. The exciting acquisition of Park Royal, our third in London, not only supports Ark’s own sustainability commitments but also empowers the customers we serve by helping them to honour their own carbon reduction goals.”
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“There’s a great quote from a famous speech that Theodore Roosevelt gave at the Sorbonne in 1919: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great
devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” “I like to think that at Ark, we and our partners are that man striving to instigate the change that can create a Darwinian moment for the planet.”
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Spring Park Westwells Road Hawthorn Corsham Wiltshire UK SN13 9GB
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