The final design concept was deliberately simple.

Multi-story building geometries with associated distribution complexities and more space for plant are having to be envisioned, carrying with them potential impact on CapEx and OpEx envelopes, as well as embodied carbon and carbon in use.Along with this, speed to market remains high on the agenda and, by default, pre-construction timescales are increasingly coming under pressure..

The dream for design standardisation remains alive but is being challenged by rapidly changing technology and service demands.The development of localisation and local code compliance for standardised design is a key USP but a balance must be struck between standardisation, localisation, and the ability to pivot towards rapidly evolving technology and tenant demands.. What are the problems that need to be solved?.The programme for delivering a new data centre is three to five years.

Within this period a great deal of the time is taken in permitting processes and getting power to the site..Different countries and regions have different regulations and bureaucracies.

One of the reasons why there’s a big focus on projects in the US (other than technology development) is the relative lightness of the permitting and approval process.

The UK is seen as relatively straightforward; however, the system is often slowed by multiple objections.Five years ago, that simply wasn’t the case for most consultancies.

There’s also a lot more guidance around now, for example, from bodies like the Chartered Institution of Building Service Engineers (CIBSE)..Sustainable building materials and platform construction.

One topic which must be addressed in relation to the reduction of embodied carbon is the sustainable use of building materials.This is an issue we’re particularly focused on at Bryden Wood, in our work with Platform construction.