Its owner, Global Switch, provides the facilities where computer servers belonging to third parties can be stored securely, away from the danger of thieves and power supply interruptions.
Everything in this building is geared to ensuring that there can never be a power failure, as this could cost the clients a fortune in downtime. Even worse, vital data could be lost forever. Sophisticated security systems ensure that sabotage or theft is almost impossible and fire protection is second to none.
Chillers
All those computers produce heat, so they are kept at a constant temperature of 22°C, and at a relative humidity of 50%. Twenty-five chiller units provide 37.5 MW of cooling power – the same as 1.8 million fridges. Chilled water throughout the building in 4 km of pipes.
Fuel Tanks
Four tanks store 119,000 litres of diesel – enough to fuel 400 buses – that can supply the generators for more than two days. An arrangement with a local supplier ensures that supplies can be replenished within 24 hours.
Power
The facility uses 43 MW of electricity, enough to power 80,000 homes. Two electricity substations in the building step down the national grid voltage of 132,000 V to 11,000 V. The power is routed around the building with 33 km of high voltage cable.
Generators
If the mains power to the building fails, 33 diesel generators on the roof – each equivalent to 22 Ford Mondeos – would kick in to provide up to 66 MW of back up power. A heavy flywheel is kept rotating at all times. This has enough stored energy to turn the generators for the critical seconds while the engine starts, thus eliminating the need for backup batteries.
Computers
There is 42,307 m2 of space available for customers, enough to hold 20,000 racks of servers. Each of these can accommodate five traditional servers or up to 30 of the newer, more compact "pancake" types. The computing power is equivalent to up to 1.5m desktop PCs, depending on the server specification.
Security
The building has a security system equivalent to eight Big Brother houses. About 250 high-resolution cameras monitor all movement and record any security breaches. Clients use magnetic cards to gain access to the building and at night a series of 2.5 m high posts around the building perimeter creates an infrared beam or "fence" that alerts security guards if broken.
Fire Protection
Air extracted from the space is monitored for smoke by equipment so sensitive that it can detect a single chip burning out inside a server. If the main detection system also senses smoke, an alarm sounds giving people 30 seconds to evacuate the area. Inergen, a mix of nitrogen and argon, floods the area at a pressure of 200 atmospheres, displacing all the air in the room within a few seconds and snuffing out a fire.
Data Cables
Fibre-optic cable rings the building, entering on each corner through ducts into splicing chambers. A total of 36,864 fibres can be accommodated; enough to carry 15,000 times all the current data traffic in Europe. All cabling is duplicated in case of failure.
Credits
architect Webb Gray contractor Amec structural engineer Robinson Consulting Engineers M&E Roberts & Partners project manager Back fpc
