Data Centre facility in Frankfurt

The Mission

Callaghan|RED (CRE) carried out the Detailed Design for a 54-Megawatt (MW) Data Centre facility in Frankfurt, Germany. The project consisted of two data centre buildings, each with three floors and 9 MW IT capacity per floor. The project incorporated free cooling chillers in conjunction with heat rejection coupled with a District Heating network.

The Challenge

RED was appointed as Lead Designers on behalf of the client to manage full MEP design activities across the campus. This included leading design team meetings, interfacing with clients and utility companies, and ensuring equipment proposed by OFCI vendors met project requirements. The team captured power and utility requirements, ensured utility connections complied with site-specific conditions, and compiled certification information for BREEAM assessment. Detailed calculations and reports were provided to justify the targeted PUE for the campus. CFD studies simulated data center operation under various weather conditions and full load scenarios. RED also assisted the client with the tendering process, provided design updates to the project QS, and offered professional consultancy on risk management, value engineering, and project management throughout the project.

The Impact

The FF5 project is a significant milestone for the client, being the largest Data Centre facility under construction in Europe. RED’s efforts ensured the project met all submission dates aligned with the client’s tendering milestones, avoiding delays in the master programme. The project will be BREEAM certified with a Very Good rating, setting a new benchmark for future designs. RED’s review of the district heating strategy and development of a scheme to export excess heat from the site for local use and a potential district heating plant in the future has been pivotal. The collaboration between multiple offices facilitated the sharing of lessons learned for improved efficiency in future phases and projects.