Samrand Data Centre, Gauteng - September 2011

Project Discipline: Commercial Retail/Industrial Sector
Business Unit: Aveng Grinaker-LTA Building

The vast Samrand data centre in Tshwane - built by Aveng Grinaker-LTA for client Standard Bank - is believed to be the largest in Africa. It's also the first data centre in the Southern Hemisphere to achieve Uptime Tier IV design and facility certification from the Uptime Institute in the United States.

Samrand data centre includes several data halls supported by specialised ancillary services. It is more than 27 000m2 in size. Eight diesel bunkers supply diesel to the day tank installation built into the generator rooms.

The complex integrated commissioning of the data centre entailed tying together all the mechanical, electrical, security, detection and fire suppression installations, and caters for diesel top-up, water ingress, water top-up, security, door activation, access control, lighting control, temperature control and maintenance and servicing, including dial-up functions to certain plant suppliers. The entire data centre can effectively be controlled from the central control room, which provides views via an array of monitors.

Completed: 2009