http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/cobalt_news.shtml Wed, 07 Mar 2012 11:41:03 GMT The latest news from Cobalt Data Centre. en-gb Copyright 2011 Cobalt Data Centre chris@clockwork-design.co.uk Coranto using the Feed Builder Addon Wed, 07 Mar 2012 11:41:03 GMT http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Highbridge Properties selects Bowmer & Kirkland to construct final phase of Cobalt Data Centre Campus.shtml http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Highbridge Properties selects Bowmer & Kirkland to construct final phase of Cobalt Data Centre Campus.shtml
The additional state of the art facilities will comprise two data centre buildings providing a combined 6,000 square metres (64,585 sq ft) of net technical space, designed to achieve BREEAM Outstanding 2010 accreditation - the highest green specification available. DC1 data centre achieved a BREEAM "Excellent" status upon practical completion last year, and the entire scheme will provide 110,460 sq ft of net technical space across 12 separate halls - each of which will be independently serviced with its own plant. The campus will sit within its own fenced perimeter and each phase of the development will have a second fenced compound with anti tail gating gates and CCTV.

The site is currently being cleared for the construction of DC2 and DC3, which will be located in the south of the Cobalt Business Park campus, the UK's largest office park. Designed by architects Woods Bagot,the new buildings will be single storey and able to accommodate either air optimisation or traditional water cooling plant. The design of the building systems will allow a PUE of 1.15 to be achieved.

Andy Kinnear of Bowmer & Kirkland comments, "We are looking forward to the start of construction of the final phase of Cobalt Data Centre Campus. The campus' green credentials make it a particularly significant instruction for Bowmer & Kirkland as the new BREEAM accreditation will make it the greenest data centre facility in the UK."

Guy Marsden, Highbridge Business Park Ltd., said: "As we embark on the final phase of Cobalt Data Centre Campus, we're pleased to continue our relationship with Bowmer & Kirkland. Working alongside the rest of our professional team, we're confident that the development's green credentials will make it a blueprint development for the IT industry."

Construction will commence during March 2012, with the campus expected to be completed by January 2013.

The professional team comprises Contractor Bowmer & Kirkland, Architects Woods Bagot, Cundall providing critical M&E and Structural Services, and EC Harris the employer's agent. CBRE is the letting agent on the scheme.]]> Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:13:10 GMT http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/The year of the Tablet - With a distributed and mobile workforce, why do you need a data centre?.shtml http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/The year of the Tablet - With a distributed and mobile workforce, why do you need a data centre?.shtml
The interesting challenge with the tablet is that, whilst conceived primarily as a consumer tool, more and more businesses are looking to adopt the technology from a corporate perspective. Companies like Mercedes Benz, Morgan Stanley, Lloyds of London and SAP are leveraging the iPad for business use. As more data and higher computing power becomes more transportable, what does this mean for CIOs?

This blog originally appeared on CIO.co.uk. To read the full article please visit: www.cio.co.uk/article/3258237/the-year-of-the-tablet/]]> Wed, 18 May 2011 11:46:04 GMT http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Highbridge secures £263m funding to develop two further data centres at Cobalt Park.shtml http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Highbridge secures £263m funding to develop two further data centres at Cobalt Park.shtml
The funds have been raised by Taurus Asset Finance and Harcourt Capital through two Limited Liability Partnerships, operated and promoted by Oxygen Ventures. The financing is secured and fully subscribed.

Construction on the two data centres is expected to begin in the final quarter of this year and will join the existing DC1 data centre which achieved a BREEAM "Excellent" status upon practical completion, making it the greenest data centre in the North of England.

Guy Marsden, Director of Highbridge Properties said: "The news that we have successfully sought and secured funding to develop two further speculative data centres at Cobalt demonstrates the faith investors have in the business model and our track record to deliver high end value projects. This forms part of our ongoing strategy to invest in data infrastructure where there is a burgeoning demand from a wide spectrum of occupiers."

"We look forward to delivering two additional exceptional facilities as part of our long term strategy to develop high quality and competitive data centre solutions at Cobalt Park."]]> Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:06:51 GMT http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Planning Consent Secured for Second Data Centre At Cobalt: Highbridge continues to invest in prime green facilities in the North East.shtml http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Planning Consent Secured for Second Data Centre At Cobalt: Highbridge continues to invest in prime green facilities in the North East.shtml
Developed by Highbridge properties and designed by award winning architects Woods Bagot, the 3,360 sq m speculative DC2 building will include four autonomous modular data halls comprising two 960 sq m halls and two 720 sq m halls.

The facility is designed to a Tier 3 (N+1) Uptime Institute Standard and to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating.

Guy Marsden, Highbridge Properties, comments, "DC2 is an important part of Highbridge's ongoing commitment to establish a world class data centre campus at Cobalt to capitalise on cutting edge design to achieve cost savings and 80MVA of dedicated power on the site.

"Cobalt Park is the UK's largest office park and is home to world class occupiers. Meanwhile, the Data Centre campus is designed to provide the region with an exceptionally high standard facility to attract inward investment, and already DC1 has been acknowledged as one of the greenest and sophisticated data centres in the UK. We have equally high ambitions for the speculative DC2 building, which is an important part of our strategy to develop high quality and competitive data centre solutions in the North East."

The data halls in the new facility are flexibly designed to accommodate either of two cooling systems dependent on customer requirement, including the energy saving Direct Air Optimisation Cooling which applies ambient air to directly cool the data hall through standard modular air handling units, or a conventional chilled water system using chillers and computer room air conditioning.

The natural cooling system is supplemented by backup DX cooling in the event that ambient conditions exceed the required air temperatures.

Each of DC1 and DC2 autonomous data centres is also supported by two separate substations with direct links through 4 diverse cable links to 80MVA at the National Grid. Data connectivity to the scheme is also excellent courtesy of diverse route connections.

The new facility will also include naturally ventilated office space on the 1st floor arranged around an open courtyard to facilitate direct natural ventilation.

The speculative data centre will be completed to building shell and central core under the first stage of work; the technical fit out of the halls will follow in the second stage according to customer requirements.

The professional team includes:
Agent: CB Richard Ellis
Architect: Woods Bagot
M&E and structural services: Cundall
Employers Agent: EC Harris

DC2 forms the second data centre facility on the campus, and joins the newly completed speculative DC1 building comprising 4,262 sq m net technical or "white" space in four autonomous data halls that have been completed to shell. DC1 was awarded BREEAM Excellent in Summer 2010.

Construction of DC2 is expected to commence Spring 2011. ]]> Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:30:07 GMT http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Cobalt Data Centre Awarded BREEAM Excellent Status: Newcastle to host one of the few 'green' data centres in the UK.shtml http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Cobalt Data Centre Awarded BREEAM Excellent Status: Newcastle to host one of the few 'green' data centres in the UK.shtml
The state-of-the-art new build facility was assessed against a broad range of environmental impacts, such as energy, pollution, land use and materials, achieving a total interim score of 75.78 percent.

Guy Marsden, Highbridge Properties, comments, "Data Centres, due to the nature of their activity, are very heavy users of energy. We have estimated that by designing and building DC1 to BREEAM Excellent standard, energy use can be cut by more than half compared to a conventional new build facility. This is very important in today's market as many corporates who use Data Centre's have strict carbon emission and sustainability targets they have to meet and a data centre that helps them hit these targets rather than hinder them is an appealing prospect."

DC1 incorporates 4,262 sq m net technical or "white" space comprising four autonomous data halls completed to shell. The facility is prepared for technical fit-out on a bespoke basis to a power density of up to 1,600 watts per square metre, and is available on a leasehold basis for either part, single or multiple halls. The centre is also on track to achieve the impressive PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) energy efficiency rating of less than 1.3.

Guy Marsden continues, "The BREEAM Excellent rating is a measure of our ongoing commitment to developing and investing in quality built environment projects in the North East, and I'm delighted that our DC1 is pushing the envelope for sustainable data centres in the UK.

"Unusually, the data centre has been developed entirely speculatively, and full funding is in place to complete the entire fit out of the scheme."

The BREEAM Excellent score has been awarded just weeks after the Building Research Establishment (BRE Global) announced they were extending their environmental rating scheme for buildings to cover Data Centres. DC1's rating follows the design stage assessment and the final BREEAM award will be announced once the post-construction assessment is completed.

DC1 forms the first of two Data Centre buildings on the Cobalt technical real estate campus. A 6,000 sq m net refurbished facility called DC2 will provide a further three autonomous data halls.

The new campus will offer a minimum Tier III N+1 standard, and will be powered by four diverse 20 MVA supplies fed by two independent sub stations.

CB Richard Ellis is the agent on the Data Centre Campus, which has been designed by award winning architects Woods Bagot. The contractor is Bowmer & Kirkland, Cundall providing M&E and structural services, and EC Harris the employers agent.]]> Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:22:21 GMT http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/New Data Centre at Cobalt Park, Newcastle on track to achieve a PUE of 1.3.shtml http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/New Data Centre at Cobalt Park, Newcastle on track to achieve a PUE of 1.3.shtml
Guy Marsden, Director, Highbridge Properties, comments:

"A PUE rating of 1.3 would seem to put us in the top 1 percent bracket of energy efficient data centres in the world, according to recent analysis by the Datacenter Research Group. We have no doubt that this is a considerable achievement, especially for a speculative data centre, and shows our commitment to developing a high quality, modern and efficient campus at Cobalt."

This achievement at the newly constructed 4,262 sq m technical facility will also be enhanced by a BREEAM Excellent rating, making it the greenest Data Centre in the North East as well as a highly energy-efficient centre.

DC1 is currently available for bespoke technical fit out, offering a power density of up to 1,600 watts per square metre. Although developed entirely speculatively, full funding is in place to complete the entire fit out of the scheme to tenant requirements.

Highbridge is marketing DC1 on a leasehold basis for either single or multiple halls, and are already seeing keen market interest.

DC2, a second data centre planned for the Cobalt Data Centre campus which is being developed from a refurbished facility, can achieve an even more impressive PUE rating, in the region of 1.09, if it is designed with free air cooling. DC2 will provide up to 6,000 sq m net technical space with a power density of up to 2,000 watts per metre square in a further three autonomous data halls.

The new campus will offer a minimum Tier III N+1 standard, and will be be powered by four diverse 20 MVA supplies fed by two independent sub stations.

CB Richard Ellis is the agent on the Data Centre Campus, which has been designed by award winning architects Woods Bagot. The contractor for the shell and core works is Bowmer & Kirkland, with Cundall providing M&E and structural services, and EC Harris the employers agent.]]> Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:15:46 GMT http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Cobalt Data Centre reaches major milestone: Highbridge Properties announce practical completion of state of the art data centre facility.shtml http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Cobalt Data Centre reaches major milestone: Highbridge Properties announce practical completion of state of the art data centre facility.shtml
Construction began on 'DC1' in September 2009, with the building marking completion with a "topping out" ceremony in April 2010, and final practical completion at the end of June, in time for this week's Data Centres Europe conference.

DC1 is a new build data centre of 4,262 sq m net technical or "white" space comprising four autonomous data halls, and forms the first of two buildings on the new technical real estate campus.

The facility has been completed to shell and is now available for technical fit-out, on a bespoke basis to a power density of up to 1,600 watts per square metre. Highbridge are marketing DC1 on a leasehold basis for either single or multiple halls and are already seeing market interest.

A second, refurbished facility - DC2 - which can provide up to 6,000 sq m net technical space in a further three autonomous data halls, is already underway as the second development phase of the data campus.

Guy Marsden, Highbridge Properties, comments, "We completed well ahead of schedule on DC1, and the facility is now available for second stage fit-out. The project is also unusual in that we've developed it entirely speculatively, and full funding is also in place to complete the entire fit out of the scheme.

"The centre will also be available to lease on extremely cost competitive terms compared to the South East of England".

The new-build data centre is also on target to be awarded a BREEAM excellent rating, making it the greenest in the North of England.

CB Richard Ellis is the agent on the Data Centre Campus, which has been designed by award winning architects Woods Bagot. The contractor is Bowmer & Kirkland, Cundall providing M&E and structural services, and EC Harris the employers agent.]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:50:05 GMT http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Kenneth Clarke "Tops Out" Data Centre at Cobalt.shtml http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Kenneth Clarke "Tops Out" Data Centre at Cobalt.shtml
Using a rubber mallet Mr Clarke tapped into place a curtain walling pressure plate to mark the "topping out" of the building that comprises four data halls and is due for completion in July. Based on the site of the former Siemens and Atmel facilities a second 6,000 sq m data centre is also being refurbished.

Mr Clarke said: "Cobalt is an enormously successful business park which is a testament to private sector investment combined with the highly motivated and skilled workforce of people on Tyneside."

Simon Davies, a director of Highbridge, the developers of Cobalt said: "The data centre is being built speculatively and will be one of the most secure and advanced in Europe. Which means, in these capital constrained times, that companies needing to store their data can lease space from us rather than having to make an enormous capital investment in their own facility. It will employ 60 cutting edge engineers and IT specialists."

Mr Clarke also visited the Cobalt Business Exchange and Conference Centre (CBX), a new 120,000 sq ft (11,148 sq m) serviced office and conference facility and met occupiers including George Foster, managing director of the latest arrival, recruitment company JSG Worldwide Enterprises, who moved his business into CBX following a successful home-based first year in Blyth.

Mr Foster said: "It's great to be setting up our office at the Cobalt Business Exchange and an exciting time for our business which is set to grow further this year as we take on another member of staff and develop international opportunities. CBX offered us the best combination of location, facilities, flexibility and cost and we are really looking forward to settling in to our new base."

Over 35 companies and 250 employees are based at CBX with six new tenants arriving in the last six weeks.

The shadow business secretary also toured Cobalt office park, where occupiers include P&G, Newcastle Building Society, Orange, North Tyneside Council, EDS, Banco Santander, G4S, DWP, Formica, Balfour Beatty and Village Hotel.]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:28:29 GMT http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/UK technology sector backs the construction of Cobalt Park Data Centre Campus:.shtml http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/UK technology sector backs the construction of Cobalt Park Data Centre Campus:.shtml 10,262 sq m Data Centre Campus on Friday.

A 'groundbreaking' event was held at the Newcastle business park to celebrate the commencement of construction of the state-of-the-art campus, with guest of honour Tom Wills-Sandford and Simon Davies of developer Highbridge (NTCO) Limited performing the ceremony.

Intellect has recently published a report 'Data Centres - The backbone of the UK economy' which concludes that they underpin the UK's IT industry, and its ability to sustain the rest of the UK economy.

Tom Wills-Sandford comments, "Our increasingly knowledge based economy relies on IT and data centres to deliver solutions and services to people, organizations and government. As Digital Britain becomes a reality, data centres are important to all sections of the UK economy, and are key to the post-recession recovery, public service reform, and the transition to a low-carbon economy.

"The establishment of a new Data Centre campus in the North East of England can only be good news for both the regional and national economies. New investment in data centre infrastructure is a major benefit for businesses and the customers they serve"

The Cobalt Data Centre Campus will include the UK's only speculative data centre currently under construction, comprising 4 data halls and a total 4,262 sq m net of space, and an extensive refurbishment of a second data centre comprising 3 autonomous data halls and up to 6,000 sq m net of space.

The campus will offer high quality and competitive data centre solutions, including a minimum Tier III N+1 standard. The campus will also benefit from two independent National Grid connections providing 80 MVA, and the power densities of the two buildings will be tailored to provide up to 2,000 watts m2. The cable connectivity to the scheme is excellent through diverse route connections.

The new-build data centre is also on target to be awarded a BREEAM excellent rating, making it the greenest in the North of England

Guy Marsden, Highbridge Properties, comments, "The new Data Centre Campus at Cobalt will provide the highest standard of technical real estate available in the region, which at best currently has rudimentary data centre stock. It is a major development project, and the latest example of Highbridge's long term commitment to investing in the North East of England".

Completion of the new build DC1 data centre is expected September 2010.]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:27:39 GMT http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Countdown to completion of the UK's only speculative new-build data centre as cobaltdatacentre.com launches.shtml http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Countdown to completion of the UK's only speculative new-build data centre as cobaltdatacentre.com launches.shtml
The cobaltdatacentre.com site will feature two webcam channels streaming real time images of the construction of the 4,262 sq m net new build data centre - and a second, refurbished facility of up to 6,000 sqm net - at Cobalt Business Park near Newcastle, according to developer Highbridge (NTCO) Limited.

Guy Marsden, Highbridge Properties, comments, "In developing a speculative, new build data centre we're unique in the market at the moment. The website and the webcam channels are designed to allow visitors to monitor construction of this one-of-a-kind facility, with rapid progress expected due to a completion date set for September 2010".

In combination, the two data centre facilities will create a brand new technical real estate campus for the North-East of England.

The state-of-the-art campus is designed to offer the highest quality and most cost effective data centre solutions available, offering a minimum Tier II N+1 standard, and rents anticipated at a competitive 25% lower than equivalent specification schemes in London due in part to the Enterprise Zone status of the Park.

In total the campus will provide 10,262 sq m of technical space over two data centre facilities, with the new build DC1 offering four autonomous 1,000 sq m data halls under one roof on a leasehold basis, and refurbished DC2 comprising three separate 1,000 sq m data halls.

The development benefits from two independent National Grid connections providing 80 MVA, and the power densities of the two buildings will be tailored to provide up to 2,000 watts square meters. The cable connectivity to the scheme is excellent through diverse route connections.

The new-build data centre is also on target to be awarded a BREEAM excellent rating, making it the greenest in the North of England.

The cobaltdatacentre.com website will also include detailed technical information on the data halls, information on the various freehold and leasehold options available to customers, background on Cobalt Business Park, and a special news section providing regular progress updates on the development of the campus.

The website is being developed for Highbridge (NTCO) Limited by Newcastle based design consultants Flying Fish, and goes live week-commencing 19th October.]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:26:44 GMT http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Bowmer & Kirkland appointed on Highbridge Properties' speculative data centre development at Cobalt.shtml http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Bowmer & Kirkland appointed on Highbridge Properties' speculative data centre development at Cobalt.shtml
The state of the art data centre campus will incorporate a new build data centre facility called DC1 which will offer four autonomous 1000 sq m data halls under one roof, and an existing facility called DC2 which will be extensively refurbished and will provide up to 6,000 sq m data halls.

The site has two independent National Grid connections providing 80 MVA . The power densities of the two buildings can be tailored to provide up to 2,000 watts m2.The cable connectivity to the scheme is excellent through diverse route connections.

The bespoke centres will deliver a minimum Tier III N+1 standard of technical space, with both leasehold and freehold arrangements possible.

The site is currently being cleared for the construction of DC1, which will be located in the south of the Cobalt Business Park campus, the UK's largest office park. Designed by architects Woods Bagot, DC1 will comprise a steel framed structure, and will utilise more than 50,000 tonnes of reclaimed stone sourced from a nearby demolition site.

The centre is also on track to be awarded a BREEAM Excellent rating, constituting one of the highest ratings awarded for a data centre in the UK.

Colin Pomfrey of Bowmer & Kirkland comments, "We are very pleased to be appointed on what will be one of the greenest data centres in the UK and certainly the greenest and highest specification centre in the North of England.

"The site selected for the campus will benefit from an enviable access to power supplies, with two national grid feeds located on Cobalt due to the infrastructure inherited from the former Siemens plant.

"This new data centre campus represents a rare speculative development in the current climate, and a significant investment into a market that has previously offered much more basic technical space".

Guy Marsden, Highbridge Properties, said: "We're delighted to welcome Bowmer & Kirkland to our professional team. They have impeccable credentials, with a busy office located in Sunderland, and they have the expertise and trackrecord to tackle this important project.

Construction will commence during October 2009, with the campus expected to be completed by September 2010.

The professional team comprises Contractor Bowmer & Kirkland, Architects Woods Bagot, Cundall providing M&E and Structural Services, and EC Harris the employers agent. CB Richard Ellis is the agent on the scheme.]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:24:43 GMT http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Planning Consent Secured for Cobalt Park Data Centre Campus: Speculative Development to Deliver Green Facilities for the North East.shtml http://www.cobaltdatacentre.com/news/Planning Consent Secured for Cobalt Park Data Centre Campus: Speculative Development to Deliver Green Facilities for the North East.shtml
The developer intends to deliver 10,262 sq m of Tier III technical space on the UK's largest office park, providing an unusually high standard of specification for bespoke data centre space anywhere outside of London and the South East.

The campus comprises two data centre facilities, incorporating the new build DC1 centre which offers four autonomous 1,000 sq m data halls under one roof on a leasehold basis, and DC2 which is an existing technical facility and comprises three seperate 1,000 sq m data halls.

The new DC1 centre is being developed entirely speculatively, and represents a significant investment by Highbridge Properties in the data infrastructure of North East England. The facility also represents the only new build data centre currently under development in the UK outside of London and the South East.

The Data Centre Campus is also on track to be awarded a BREEAM Excellent rating, and will constitute one of the UK's greenest technical facilities as a result.

Guy Marsden, Highbridge Properties, said: "Having established a successful business destination in the North East, Highbridge are now keen to add to the facilities on offer by developing what will amount to the highest standard of technical real estate in the region.

"We are bucking the trend on so many levels with this new data centre campus. We are developing speculatively, when many developers are halting construction. We are planning to deliver one of the greenest technical facilities to a market where sustainability is not often associated with the product. Finally, we are going to be providing a minimum of Tier III standard accommodation - with the potential for space to be designed up to Tier IV - to a regional market that currently has rudimentary data centre stock at best".

Work on DC1 will commence on site at the beginning of October 2009, with the new Campus due for completion by September 2010.

DC1 has been designed by Architects Woods Bagot, with Cundall providing M&E and Structural Services, and EC Harris the employers agent. CB Richard Ellis is the agent on the scheme.]]>