Data center campus CyrusOne, Amsterdam| Ultramodern data center campus on Polanenpark business park near Amsterdam

Timely completion crucial for high-tech campus

American data center operator CyrusOne Inc. is building a new next-gen data center campus with an estimated capacity of 54 MW at PolanenPark business park in Halfweg, between Haarlem and Amsterdam. The design of these high-tech buildings with a total area of 27,000 m², spread over three floors, comes from the international architectural firm Hyphen Architects and will be succeeded by the Amsterdam firm Knevel Architects. General contractor Cosimco was commissioned to build this project.

CyrusOne is a fast-growing Real Estate Investement Trust (REIT) specializing in highly reliable enterprise-class, carrier-neutral data centers. This U.S. firm provides data center facilities that protect and ensure the continuous operation of IT infrastructure for approximately one thousand clients. CyrusOne has more than forty-five data centers worldwide and is now expanding further in the Netherlands. For example, the data center operator entered into a strategic partnership with Agriport A7 in Middenmeer for the development of a 270 MW multi-data center campus on a 33-hectare lot and purchased 6.3 hectares of land from the Schiphol Area Development Company (SADC) for the construction of a new data center campus with an estimated capacity of 54 MW.

No less than 3,500 tons of steel and 4,000 m³ of concrete were used to construct the high-tech building.

According to the latest standards

The iconic data center at Polanenpark business park, ten minutes from Schiphol Airport and fifteen minutes from Amsterdam, is being built to the latest standards and is part of the European Green IT innovation project Catalyst. "The design of this building comes from the international architectural firm Hyphen, which worked with project manager Haz Mission Critical and engineering firm Pinnacle, both from the UK, for this purpose. The building application was submitted by Knevel Architects from Amsterdam, which is also responsible for the follow-up during the execution of the works," says Jack Berben, commercial director of Cosimco, which was appointed as general contractor for this project. "Cosimco has belonged to the Willemen Group since 2005 and specializes in the realization of housing for companies, for example production facilities, logistics buildings and offices, but also in utility construction and collective housing. We realize a client's architectural designs, but also often work with design & build teams that can develop a project from A to Z - from the search for a suitable piece of building land to its completion."

For the CyrusOne data center, Cosimco is responsible for the 'core and shell' execution of the project and also for environmental construction. To this end, the company is working closely with a number of local partners such as GS Staalwerken (Helmond), Kempen Cladding (Bergeijk) and Van Berlo (Veghel). Together, they are constructing a high-tech three-story building of 27,000 m², which is 22 meters high and deep and rests on 3,500 foundation piles. No less than 3,500 tons of steel and 4,000 m³ of concrete were used for the construction.

Cosimco is constructing a three-story building of 27,000 m², which is 22 meters high and deep and rests on 3,500 foundation piles.

High time pressure as a challenge

Besides the performance of the building, it was mainly the high time pressure that was a major challenge. The works started in December 2018 and by September of this year Cosimco had to finish the job. "In 5 months, the structural phase was completed and the building was wind and watertight. Then further finishing and environmental construction could begin," Berben explained. "We make every effort to respect the short execution time of 9 months. For a smooth cooperation and execution, we use the lean methodology, which aims to avoid waste in all areas. Thanks to this way of working, we avoid, for example, waiting times because certain materials are not available or unnecessary movements of workers to the site. There is also no rework because works are not done or not done correctly. Meetings, reports and checks are kept to a minimum. Finally, it is also important that inventory and transportation are well managed. Ultimately, the goal is to optimize quality, save costs and ensure timely delivery of the project."