NEXTDC is Australia’s leading independent data centre operator providing enterprise-class colocation, connectivity services and infrastructure management software to a variety of public and private clients.
B2 is NEXTDC’s second Brisbane data centre development, which involved the refurbishment of an existing commercial building into a hyperscale colocation facility, certified to Uptime Institute (UTI) Tier IV Certification of Constructed Facility and Tier IV Gold certification for Operational Excellence. B2 was the first data centre in the country, and the first in the Southern Hemisphere to achieve the pinnacle of global data centre certification standards.
Delivering customers with a 100% uptime guarantee, B2 is Engineered to achieve complete fault tolerance, meaning it is built to withstand individual equipment failures or distribution path interruptions whilst maintaining IT operations. This project was awarded the 2018 (QLD) Master Builders Award (MBA) Project of the Year and winner of the 2018 MBA Best Commercial Building $5M-$50M category (QLD).
As Queensland’s most connected data centre facility, customer demand within the newly constructed facility led to rapid expansion, calling for the further fit-out of B2’s second Data Hall. DCWC Project Manager, Alison Gartrell, recently celebrated the milestone of project completion of the Data Hall 2 fit-out.
“Our business has a systems approach to Project Management that gets adjusted on a project to project basis, depending on the unique challenges each development brings. NEXTDC B2 was a project that demanded absolute certainty on delivery of the Data Racks for signed up customers which have strict commercial terms. It is an environment that is constantly changing and we had to be responsive to not only the Client’s needs, but within the framework of the construction contract” Alison Gartrell explains.
The commissioning phase of the project centred on the rigorous testing of individual systems to failure. DCWC, in collaboration with the Independent Commissioning Agent, managed the IST test script schedule ensuring engineering and subcontractor availability to witness test systems in a live operating data centre environment. Forward planning and the submission and review of Methods of Procedure (MOPS) ensured that there was no loss of service to any customer during this critical testing phase. The project has been certified to Uptime Tier IV standards, the highest current fault tolerance certification of a data centre in the Southern Hemisphere.
Our Project Management services administer the installation and commissioning of major electrical, communications, mechanical cooling, security, fire and hydraulic services to new build and refurbished facilities. This project required a highly specialised understanding of fault tolerant critical infrastructure systems.
DCWC’s PM team consisted of engineering professionals with the ability to work in the fast-paced technology environment. DCWC’s PM Alison Gartrell led the DCWC engagement, collaborating with NEXTDC’s in-house Engineering and Design team, assisting to overcome complex problems associated with the refurbishment of an existing building, whilst adhering to the rigorous standards of Uptime’s Tier IV data centre design and construct criteria.
Our team thoroughly understood the project objectives and critical programme dates, ensuring open collaboration and communication of key milestones and activities during the construction phase. DCWC’s success in the project was possible due to our collaboration and strategic relationships with international suppliers, local subcontractors and engineering professionals.