Data centres represent a very utilitarian aspect of the built environment, and yet they compose a particular kind of infrastructure within contemporary society, one where form must follow function.
Hames Sharley was selected as a partner, supporting NEXTDC in the successful delivery of Perth’s first Tier IV data centre (P2), just one of the new developments for the data centre operator across the country.
NEXTDC is Australia’s most trusted and highly interconnected platform of premium co-location data centres.
It houses the largest and most comprehensive ecosystem of >640 clouds, networks and specialist IT services providers within Australia.
Based in the Perth CBD, P2 forms an important digital inter-connectivity hub, offering appropriate supporting infrastructure to deliver critical connectivity, front of house facilities, world-class security, a delivery area, storage and staging rooms and client parking and access.
The newly built facility consists of over 10,000m² of technical space and 10 high density compute data halls.
Built to meet the increasing needs of today’s digital economy, the key moves and design principles consisted of:
- Integration with the existing site conditions and infrastructure
- Breakout spaces to the street for additional façade activation and improvement of the user experience
- Effectively connecting the street with the main building level being at the 1/100 year flood level (2.5m level difference)
- Concealment of services running externally
- Fast architecture – repeating fins to the street that creates a dynamic façade when moving past the building in a vehicle
- A lighting design to change the look of the building at night – proving 24-hour architecture for the Perth community.
Hames Sharley worked closely with Urbis and City of Perth (CoP) to deliver an outcome that worked for the local council and the client – balancing the security requirements with the City’s desire for an open and transparent public interface.
As the architect and interior designer for P2 Perth, Hames Sharley also worked closely with subcontractors to deliver organised and considered services layout and routes, where possible.
The project provided several challenging scenarios, the greatest involving the need to deliver a non-public building with a public interface that also connected the street level.
Strong, bold architectural accents of red connect to emphasise 3D spatial geometries in NEXTDC, while spatial layering throughout controls lighting and sight-lines. Think refined industrial, exposed services and metallic finishes, which make up the overall design aesthetic.
Hames Sharley added further value by investigating and implementing, (within budget), the inclusion of breakout spaces to the street for additional façade activation and improved user experience.
The newly built facility is the pinnacle of data centre certifications worldwide.
Tier IV infrastructure is a building block on top of the requirements for Tier III, adding complete fault tolerance to the infrastructure deployed on-site.
Completely fault-tolerant infrastructure means that any individual equipment failures or distribution path interruptions that occur will have no impact on the overall operations of the facility.
The delivery method was Design and Construct, and Hames Sharley engaged early with the Head Contractor and sub-contractors on crucial design elements to ensure these critical elements were not overlooked, and the client achieved their optimal outcome.
With over 12,000 m2 of technical data centre space at full fitout, P2 supports the highest-density, compute-intensive requirements for Perth organisations, and can scale from rack-ready cabinets to full contiguous rows and custom cages and private suites.
NEXTDC currently operates nine data centres nationwide, with facilities in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Canberra.
Project Details
Project Size – 31,000 m2
Completion Date – 2020
Project Team
Master Planning, Architecture, Interior Design
Hames Sharley
Evidenced by their delivery of multi-award-winning projects across the disciplines of architecture, interior design, urban design, planning, and landscape design, Hames Sharley are recognised as one of Australia’s leading design firms.
Established in 1976, the practice has studios in Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney.
Photography
Douglas Mark Black
Douglas photographs architectural, design, and landscape architecture projects throughout Western Australia for local, national and multi-national client organisations within the construction sector.
With an international working background in architecture, Douglas brings a unique perspective to his photographic approach. His conceptual photography has been sold as limited edition fine art prints, used within commercial interiors projects, and featured on a number of international book covers.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2021 Hames Sharley. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2021 Douglas Mark Black. All Rights Reserved.
Get the Builtworks Letter
In every edition of the Builtworks Letter, you’ll get the behind-the-scenes backstory as to how buildings, structures, and places are designed, built, and brought to life.
You’ll hear compelling stories, learn surprising ideas, meet engaging characters, and discover unique voices.