TClarke partners Green Mountain as General Contractor
A rare opportunity to go behind the scenes at a major data centre construction project reveals TClarke collaborating as the General Contractor to deliver a world-class solution, in partnership with Green Mountain.
Green Mountain is expanding its presence in East London through the development of its campus in Romford, known as LON-East. Simon Blackburn, the Managing Director of Green Mountain UK, outlines the programme goals:
A world-class development for Europe’s key data hub.
We are increasing our Romford campus capacity by 30 MW across two buildings. The first 14 MW is currently under construction and is expected to be ready in the second half of 2025. This building was originally an old tobacco warehouse that has been converted into a large distribution centre. The remaining 16 MW of capacity will come from a new building, bringing the total campus capacity to just under 40 MW.
Gary Hutchings, the Programme Delivery Director at Green Mountain, adds:
The facility will be HPC and AI-enabled, designed to the highest standards of sustainability and energy efficiency, with a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) target of approximately 1.2. This PUE target represents significant energy efficiency compared to the industry average of around 1.57.
Construction in a live data centre environment
It is crucial to maintain the availability of existing services during the expansion. TClarke was selected as Green Mountain’s General Contractor for the construction due to their extensive experience building around live data centres, a decision that has already proven beneficial. They have successfully delivered one of the largest indoor installation in Europe, which includes over 330 helical piles (12 meters deep) to support the new mezzanine floor, and have erected more than 850 tonnes of steel around live services. The collaboration with TClarke has been successful, as their approach emphasises maintaining live services during construction rather than altering these services to accommodate the build. This shift in mindset has been both significant.
With the enabling works completed and the project moving into the mechanical and electrical fit-out stage, everything remains on track and within budget.
Mark Lawrence, Chief Executive of TClarke Group, commented:
“Our partnership with Green Mountain is highly effective. Serving as the General Contractor allows us to focus on the key building service elements that drive the entire programme. TClarke teams have decades of experience delivering large new construction programmes alongside live mission-critical operations, whether they involve trading floors, data centres or hospitals.”
“Because of this experience, we have the systems and processes in place to ensure success. Even more importantly, we have the teams and the resources required to deliver these major projects with complete confidence. Green Mountain is a modern, progressive, and highly capable customer known for maintaining high standards and values – something we take pride in supporting.”