Retrofitting: The strategic advantage for data centre growth
Steve Clifford, Director of Data Centres explores how organisations can unlock the full potential of preexisting data centres with our expert retrofitting solutions through environmental, cost-saving and time-saving benefits.
Retrofitting: The strategic advantage for data centre growth
With AI set to drive a 165 per cent increase in data centre power demand by 2030, the data centre industry is undergoing a seismic shift. AI, cloud computing and digital transformation are reshaping what information we need to access and how, so matching that demand with more resilient, high-performing infrastructure is critical.
As demand soars, a troubling reality emerges: new capacity cannot be built fast enough to match output needs. Coupled with power shortages and delayed planning approval, there is need for an alternative approach: retrofitting.
Historically, retrofitting white and grey space facilities was considered a reactive approach. But with a strategic plan, project timelines can be condensed by 30 per cent, making site development and utility set up much more efficient.
In this blog, I will discuss how EMCOR UK’s phased approach and expertise can transform existing environments to meet these new capacities and plan for future growth.
The strategic advantage of retrofitting
Building new data centres can be an arduous process, often slowed down by planning and environmental challenges. Retrofitting has clear operational advantages, including:
- Cost efficiency: Construction, labour and specialist equipment make greenfield development expensive. Retrofitting existing facilities can cost up to 40 per cent less than constructing new ones.
- Faster deployment: Bypass lengthy planning and environmental approval processes.
- Environmental responsibility: A lower carbon pathway can extend the lifespan of an existing building and align with global sustainability goals.
- Operational continuity: Specialist expertise helps to ensure zero disruption to your 24/7 operations.
- Future-proofing: Strategic designs accommodate future scaling and emerging technologies.
With that said, retrofitting requires the strategic, phased moderation of already live environments. It involves upgrading the mechanical and electrical systems in place, replacing ageing infrastructure and reconfiguring white and grey space layouts to support greater rack densities and changing cooling needs.
These projects require experienced, long-serving teams that understand the unique challenges of working in live environments. Our self-delivery model helps to consistency between people and processes, making the difference between a seamless upgrade and a costly disruption.
Our collaborative approach
Our team has a deep understanding of critical environments, coupled with a technical approach that maps our every phase. Our approach includes:
- Constant stakeholder communication: We keep customers informed throughout the process, from initial design to the build stages.
- Thorough pre-construction surveys: To help eliminate unexpected issues early on.
- Risk identification and mitigation: We can prevent temporary cooling outages, loss of redundancy, accidental downtime, or other significant delays.
- In-house engineering and commissioning teams: Helps to ensure consistent quality and understanding of operational pressures of live sites.
With this method, we can design, manufacture and install assets. For example, our engineering-led approach delivered bespoke chiller gantries for various data centres in London, Birmingham and Guildford.
By leveraging off-site laser scanning and 3D modelling, we could plan with great precision. This approach helped us mitigate on-site risks, finish installations ahead of schedule, and maintain smooth operations. In city spaces, our team knows that every millimetre matters. These constraints required our team to use utmost precision in our phased planning, achieving fantastic results.
Case study: Transforming an office into a high-performance UPS switch room
Recently, our team transformed an existing office space into a full operational UPS Switch Room for a major client. Through early design collaboration with our customer, we underwent an extensive planning stage.
The team then installed a security rated modular building to house the battery strings, complete with cooling, fire detection, leak detection and enhanced security systems.
Our project supported two diverse power feeds that allowed for the future expansion of up to 600KW. The project demonstrated how retrofitting can not only create a fully functional space but can factor in growth requirements from the outset. Retrofitting does not only need to meet immediate needs – our expert team worked with our customer to understand their future needs and create an adaptable space.
Act now and plan for the future
With first-generation data centres approaching end-of-life stages for critical systems, now is the perfect moment to consider retrofitting. If you're responsible for uptime and capacity on site, retrofit could be the most effective tool at your disposal.
Begin with a comprehensive lifecycle and risk assessment to understand your site's resilience thresholds, audit critical systems, and prioritise upgrades that strengthen redundancy before expanding capacity.
Data centre demand is only accelerating. Retrofitting isn’t just an option; it’s a necessity for sustainable growth. Our team can future-proof your operations to expand your capabilities. That way, centres can meet tomorrow’s demands, today.
Unlike many providers who rely on third-party contractors, EMCOR UK offers a fully integrated delivery model, giving you greater control, consistency, and confidence from day one.
Discover more about our extensive engineering services, learn how we can transform your data centre operations, or contact our team today.