Pure Data Centres Group (Pure DC), a digital infrastructure company and Glencar, a general construction contractor, have started the piling works for the West Shell of its 70 MW, LON01B2 data center (B2) at Brent Cross in North London, marking the final major construction phase of a £1 billion (US$ 1,351 billion) campus development. The development will add more than 23,000 square meters to the Brent Cross campus and increase its total capacity to 90 MW and the wider B2 facility is scheduled for completion in Q2 2029.
According to a Pure DC press release, the B2 facility is being designed as a closed-loop, liquid-cooled data center for high-density AI inference and cloud workloads. The project also includes the use of recycled steel and other low-carbon materials. The completed B2 building is also planned to include a living wall covering the exterior, with more than 750,000 plants. The planting is intended to help reduce noise and air pollution and support insect and bird biodiversity near Brent Reservoir’s Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Dan Priest, Campus Delivery Director, Pure DC, said, “Piling commencement represents an important milestone in the continued development of our Brent Cross campus. LON01B2 is a major part of our investment in London’s digital infrastructure, and it is encouraging to see the final stage of construction now progressing on site.”
“Seeing piling get underway marks the transition into the structural phase of the programme. Delivering a project of this scale within a live and highly constrained data center campus requires detailed planning, close collaboration and careful coordination across every stage,” said Roy Jones, Managing Director of London and The South at Glencar. “Our teams have worked closely with Pure DC and the wider project team to prepare for this phase, and we look forward to building on this momentum as the structure begins to take shape.”
Construction is taking place while the existing data center campus remains operational. Glencar, Pure DC and other project teams therefore need to coordinate construction and fit-out work taking place simultaneously across the site. Glencar’s work on the West Cold Shell includes piling and foundations, underground services, structural work and connections to the adjacent East Cold Shell. Its scope also covers concrete and slab works, stair cores, the building envelope and roofing.