ACO’s StormBrixx Safeguards New Data Centre from Downpours and Flooding

ACO Water Management has supplied two bespoke attenuation tanks to keep a major new data centre running smoothly and safe from flooding.

With data centres becoming critical pieces of infrastructure in an ever-more digitalised world, these gigantic buildings are now emerging across the globe, and, given their purpose, avoiding failure or damage to is non-negotiable. However, as part of one data centre construction project in Ireland, it was found that existing surface water drainage tanks at the site would be inadequate for where the building was being planned.

While the existing tanks would likely be able to handle the necessary amount of water, they would almost certainly collapse under the significant weight of the new data centre and its components. A new solution was needed, and, after a thorough consultation, two attenuation tanks constructed through ACO’s StormBrixx HD geocellular stormwater management system were selected. StormBrixx is a unique and patented plastic geocellular stormwater management system for attenuation and soakaway as part of a sustainable urban drainage (SuDS) scheme.

Data centre dilemma

A specialist engineering firm led the design and specification, and knowing that a bespoke solution would be required, the civil engineering consultants reached out to ACO for advice. The data centre would eventually rest on a concrete slab, upon which several generators would be placed along with a considerable amount of highly sensitive – and heavy – electrical equipment. The tanks would have to bear the combined load of all these permanent components, estimated to be 30kn/m².

Along with the weight concern, the installers would need to fit the tanks around the building’s foundations, meaning the solutions needed to work in a relatively limited space. The water table was an additional concern as it sat 250mm above the base of the tanks.

The solution was StormBrixx

After ensuring they had a complete understanding of the project and its various restrictions, ACO Sales Manager Eoghan Liston and Ross Stewart, ACO Regional Manager, recommended tanks made to fit around the data centre’s foundations. Comprised of StormBrixx HD units, the solutions would have a vertical compressive strength of 455kn/m². Crucially, due to StormBrixx’s modular nature, they were able to construct tanks as large as 1,400m³ and 1,350m³, as was required by the project.

To provide further peace of mind and demonstrate the tanks’ load-bearing capabilities, ACO sent samples to the site for assembly and testing. A scaled down sample tank had a one-tonne block lowered onto it, showing the StormBrixx HD units were more than capable and could withstand the forces and weight that they would be subjected to.

The advantage of ACO

One of the major considerations for the project involved the logistics of getting the new tanks in position. As part of installation, the old tanks had to be excavated and the pits in which they were placed needed to be filled in. New pits had to be dug and then the new tanks could be installed. To top this off, the site itself is very compact, so the tank’s installers had to manage working around the tight footprint within a restrictive timescale.

StormBrixx’s design turned out advantageous in this regard. As the cells are stackable, one articulated truck can store up to 88 pallets or 309 cubic metres of attenuation cells. In this project, this meant that fewer deliveries were needed compared to traditional drainage systems of this size.

The smaller number of deliveries allowed for the site to become similar to a production line, in which one tank was removed, a new hole was dug, the old hole filled in, and the new tank installed.

In addition to attenuation

Along with StormBrixx’s ability to carry a significant amount of weight and attenuate a large amount of water, they also address the fundamental requirement of access and maintenance for SuDS Approval Boards (SABS) and water companies. The open cell structure permits completely free access for CCTV and jetting equipment which allows the entire system to be inspected and maintained from just a few access points. With SuDS being a growing requirement among many developments, it is important that consultation with SuDS experts, such as those at ACO, occur in the early stages of the project.

Eoghan Liston at ACO Water Management said: “This was by no means a simple project, but ACO had the quality of product and expertise to successfully complete it. There were many restrictions and requirements that we had to contend with and thanks to early consultation and regular communication, we were able to design and deliver a solution that is entirely bespoke and meets every single one of the project’s needs.”

For more information on ACO’s solutions, see ACO.co.uk.