Going big on data As the potential of AI (artificial intelligence) is realised, and the economy continues its digital transformation, the demand for data storage, cloud and interconnection capability has never been greater. Working with leading data centre provider NEXTDC, A.G. Coombs is at the forefront of delivering the digital infrastructure platform underpinning that future. The AI influence
Image: Aran Anderson Photography
S3 Sydney is NEXTDC’s third and largest data centre in Sydney – directly connecting to the company’s existing S1 and S2 sites to form an interconnected, digital metropolitan campus. Located in Artarmon, S3 Sydney comprises more than 26,000m² of data halls and ancillary infrastructure over nine levels, and when completed will deliver more than 20,000m² of critical IT space and 80MW of critical power to clients. This is complemented by over 4,000m² of operational space housing essential teams and business operations, as well as client amenities such as mission critical workspaces, collaboration zones and a 73-seat auditorium.
mechanical services specialist and services lead for Stage 1 under a design and construct (D&C) contract. This project represents a further deepening of the partnership between A.G. Coombs, NEXTDC and Multiplex, following the successful completion of the S2 data centre. “This has been a highly collaborative project environment, with both upstream and downstream representation from stakeholders, including NEXTDC, in services meetings being of great benefit to the project outcomes,” says Nathan Waugh, Project Manager for A.G. Coombs.
A.G. Coombs is pleased to have contributed to a technically complex, services-heavy build in its role as
Working to a modular mechanical services design by consultant Aurecon, A.G. Coombs applied its industry leading prefabrication capabilities on the project. Given the interruption caused by COVID-19 and 2022’s record heavy rain in Sydney, this strategy became a key driver in achieving practical completion by the construction program date.
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Building Efficiency
Built by Multiplex, the construction of the facility commenced in 2021, with practical completion of Stage 1 reached in July 2022.
Around 90% of the mechanical services pipework was prefabricated offsite. Similarly, external risers located on the southern side of the building that serve each level’s data halls were prefabricated and installed while the building remained wrapped in scaffold. The S3 Sydney Data Centre is served by a large heat rejection rooftop plant located on the northern side of the building. A.G. Coombs installed 13 of 26 cooling towers under the Stage 1 works, with each cooling tower set prefabricated on modular skids weighing seven tonnes each. These skids contain the primary and secondary pumps, heat exchanger, water treatment plant, feed and expansion systems and all relevant pipework. Through the design phase, the placement of each skid was carefully devised. The Trimble system was utilised on site to ensure they were correctly set out within the three-tiered, cooling tower walkway, with careful coordination required to
allow for each skid to be craned into the corresponding cooling tower void.
says David Dannaoui, Senior Services Manager at Multiplex.
Data hall pressurisation and humidity control is achieved by dedicated outsideair pressurisation units installed on each level, while the operational (office) spaces are served by dedicated variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems.
As of mid-2023, A.G. Coombs has fitted out two of the sixteen largest data halls within the facility, representing 2.4MW of initial capacity. The remaining halls and suites (approximately 77.7MW of capacity) are expected to be fitted out progressively over the next few years.
The separation of services, and that each service is supported independently, are requirements of the Uptime Institute Tier IV standard to which the S3 Sydney Data Centre has been designed and constructed. This certification, achieved soon after practical completion, recognises the facility’s complete fault tolerance and the provision of redundancy for power and cooling to ensure reliability and resilience.
“A.G. Coombs has shown an ability to bring our design to life, not only through prefabrication and modularisation of mechanical services but also through their commitment to collaboration at every turn of the project,” says Angus Barron, Engineering Delivery Director at NEXTDC.
“Through their prefabrication strategy and technical expertise, A.G. Coombs has proven to be a genuine partner in the successful, on-time delivery of the NEXTDC S3 Sydney Data Centre,”
2023-2024
“The ever-growing AI (artificial intelligence) space is driving capacity requirements in data centres around the world, and the most cost-effective way to accommodate this fast growth is via a modular approach to construction,” says Nathan Waugh, Project Manager for A.G. Coombs. Approximately 70% of A.G. Coombs’ construction on the NEXTDC S3 Sydney project was prefabricated in an offsite controlled environment. The majority of works were completed in modules, leaving the joining of pipework risers and reticulation to be carried out on site. “The advantages provided by prefabrication, and A.G. Coombs’s industry leading capabilities in this space, complements data centre modularisation so well.”
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