Ark Continuity: A tour de force in low carbon data centre construction
Summary
In the heart of Wiltshire a large data centre complex is being constructed by Ark Continuity.
With 114MVA of available power; high capacity, diverse fibre connectivity to Bristol and
Reading and 14.79 ha of development, Spring Park, Corsham, is set to become one of
Europe’s leading data centre campuses. The first phase of the initial data centre building,
known as SQ17 (comprising 3,944m² of raised-floor Tier III accommodation), will be
completed in November 2009. This facility, with high-efficiency power systems and freecooling
chillers, will offer a design yearly average PUE1 of 1.45.
However, it is the next stage of development that will prove to be one of the most energyefficient
data facilities in the world – achieving a PUE of under 1.2 without introducing freshair
into the data rooms. At the heart of the design is the use of a vast underground space at
a stable temperature of 9oC (a highly secure, cool, subterranean complex) and an aquifer
augmented by groundwater recharge from the surface facilities.