Royal Heijmans is set to build a new data centre in the province of North Holland. The data centre will have a floor area of 11,000 m2 and is expected to be completed in October 2026. Heijmans will use a number of innovations in modular construction and sustainability in the construction of this data centre.
The necessary permits have now been granted. The new building will a capacity of 10 megawatts. The construction project represents a revenue value of € 96 million for Heijmans.
Modular construction
What is special about the construction of this new centre is that parts of the finishing and technical installations will be prefabricated at a central location elsewhere in the Netherlands. The modular building components will then be transported to the site for assembly. The main advantage of modular construction is that it speeds up the on-site construction process and enables us to work more efficiently.
This method also reduces the number of kilometres that suppliers, for example, have to travel to the construction site. In addition, we will use a central transport point close to the site, from which we will organise the combined transport of construction materials. This will limit the number of transport movements with construction materials, reducing the inconvenience to the surrounding area.
Due to the fact that data centres have a high level of security, at the client’s request Heijmans will not be actively disclosing the location or the name of the client.
District heating system and water use
The data centre will be prepared for connection to a local district heating system. As a result, the heat produced by the data centre to be put to good use, for example to heat water for local residents or even to heat their homes.
The water consumption in the data centre itself will be minimised thanks to the use of targeted water treatment. In other words, the use of drinking water will be minimised and any water used will be recycled and upgraded for reuse as processing water.
Approach
This project embodies two of Heijmans’ strategic objectives: producibility and sustainability. Due in part to the declining number of skilled professionals available, Heijmans wants to work smarter and get more done at the same time. The modular construction of this data centre is a prime example of this approach. Heijmans’ sustainability innovations will include the application of water reuse technologies and the connection to a local district heating system.
