October 22, 2020 in News
Critical Response – Modular Data Centre Construction
Data centres have never been tested like they have been in 2020, as working remotely became a key feature in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hyperscale Data Centre - Melbourne
Hyperscale Data Centres are massive Data Centres powering the computing infrastructure that our lives revolve around. They store our data from the cloud, stream our Netflix, enable our online purchases and host our WhatsApp and Facebook accounts.
HyperScale Data Centres are designed to house thousands of servers and storage appliances and are mostly run by large IT-centric companies including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, eBay and Facebook. They are purpose-built, highly scalable and typically built to short programs to meet an insatiable computing demand.
A.G. Coombs Role
Mechanical Services Contractor
A.G. Coombs provided the mechanical services for a new Hyperscale computing facility in Melbourne, working for BUILT the head contractor. Given a very short program for construction and fit-out, the project was ideal for leveraging the benefits of mechanical services offsite prefabrication. Whilst BUILT were building the structure, in parallel, A.G. Coombs were building the mechanical services (in modular form).
A.G. Coombs prefabrication facility in Keysborough has over 4000 sq metres of fabrication work space. Manufacturing offsite in a controlled environment has many benefits to the construction process including:
- Reduce risk of delay due to inclement weather
- Improved quality of workmanship
- Reduced waste
- Improved safety systems for our employees and the onsite teams.
- Improved productivity through streamlined fabrication processes and works scheduling.
Hyperscale Data Centres, consume significant amounts of energy much of which is converted to heat. Cooling systems are critical and Water based cooling systems are frequently used for their energy efficiency and reliability.
A.G. Coombs prefabricated pipe modules, that interconnect Chillers with Data Hall CRACs. These modules were transported to site and installed in a fraction of the time when comparing to more conventional mechanical installations. Chiller headers were also fabricated and tested offsite enabling chillers to be quickly connected to the Chilled water pipe system.
Prefabricating and testing pipe modules and headers offsite enabled an efficient fit-off of pipework onsite, reducing the site program for mechanical services from months to weeks.
