Brecon / Leeds / Gloucester-based facilities support specialists Beacons Business Interiors (Bbi) has handled the mechanical and electrical (M&E) contract and fit-out of a new data centre for Mitel, the trusted unified communications software provider.
The £750,000 contract involved the complete design and implementation of both the construction works and M&E systems at Mitel’s latest tier-one data centre.
Located at the Castle Gate Business Park, Caldicot, Bbi completed the project within a demanding schedule. As data centres contribute 4% of carbon emissions, the brief called for a design that was environmentally friendly. Utilising the existing electrical capacity available on site helped achieve this while careful selection of mechanical equipment also ensured that environmental objectives were met.
Paul Westlake, sales manager at Bbi, said: “Data centres and disaster recovery suites are now an indispensable part of everyday life. Detailed M&E knowledge for a project like this is essential. Data centres contain all kinds of secure information and it is important that the servers within these environments are kept at exactly the right temperature so they do not overheat.”
The temperature in data centres is normally controlled by close control air conditioning. However, for this project, Bbi specified cold aisle containment which comprised a series of refrigerated aisles and racks preventing hot air short circuits and improving the efficiency of the cooling system considerably, while also contributing to energy cost savings.
Bbi has also worked with Mitel on various projects previously, including refurbishment of its European offices in Paris, Amsterdam, Stuttgart, Madrid and Brussels.
Craig Evans from Mitel, said: “Having successfully worked with Bbi before, we were impressed with how they interpreted our objectives and delivered the end result so effectively.”
Westlake continued, “We have a wealth of experience in this sector and have completed a number of similar projects for our clients including two disaster recovery centres for SunGard in Elstree and Leatherhead and a data centre in Elland.
Bbi has a dedicated M&E division that can assist from feasibility stage, through detailed design, tender and implementation to ongoing support with maintenance management.
Mitel is a leading provider of voice, video, and collaborative communication software solutions for businesses of all sizes. It employs approximately 200 people in Wales, operates in over 90 countries via a network of 80 offices worldwide, supporting over 1,500 value-added resellers and partners.
