Gratte Brothers: Mechanical & Electrical precision

By Bizclik Editor
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Enabling modular and sustainable data centre solutions with resilient engineering...

Gratte Brothers is a third-generation family business, established in 1946 that has been offering M&E solutions for over 35 years; its first data centre project dates back to 1995. During the last six years, the company has consistently delivered 30 megawatts of IT power to the mission critical construction market every year.

Resilient

“We offer specialist knowledge when it comes to resilient engineering services” assures Gratte’s Engineering Director, Remi Suzan. “We've worked with DC supply chains for decades, and have good relationships with our manufacturers and specialist subcontractors. Our contract engineers, site managers, and in-house commissioning teams don't just understand how they work, but ‘why’ they need to work that way, and they bring that deep knowledge to every project.”

Modular

Modular

Gratte Brothers has worked with Ark for over a decade; an integral part of its partner ecosystem developing modular DC solutions with low energy consumption at their core. “ Together with  Ark’s other partner contractors, we worked on developing a modular energy centre that could be associated with the prefabricated data centres that could then be deployed either as a single unit or as multiple units, depending on what Ark needed at the time,” confirms Suzan. “The energy centres containing the UPSs and LV panels were all provided with a cooling system designed on external fresh air. It was calculated that for 98% of the year it could operate without mechanical cooling which was only required in exceptional circumstances at high-peak summer periods.”

Sustainable

“Ark are way ahead of the game when it comes to sustainability,” reckons Suzan. “Their approach is more than just a green message on their website; they really mean it.” Looking to the future, Gratte is exploring the potential for gas turbine generators and hydrogen power systems (HPS) and is fully behind the increased industry focus on supporting net zero strategies. “Back in the 90s, the idea of a green data centre was almost laughable. They were built purely with speed to market in mind and about as green as a bucket of napalm. Now that we can use adiabatic fresh air cooling systems for IT equipment with heat recovery in all of our air solutions allied with the use of photovoltaic panels and LED lighting, energy efficiency has greatly improved.”

Testimonial

“Gratte Brothers, along with JCA, are our preferred mechanical and electrical engineering partners helping us develop improved energy centre solutions. We were also keen to modularise this process so our partners came up with a unique solution which not only utilises the data centre cooling to cool the energy centre, but also allows Ark to build the energy centre off site - improving health and safety while reducing material waste and cost. Though competitors in the market, Gratte Brothers and JCA are both family-run businesses that integrate well with Ark. They’re really adaptable and always looking to innovate. When we need to ensure speed to market, and in times of crisis like we’ve experienced during the pandemic, we rely on these partnerships to deliver safely to our customers.”

Andy Garvin, Director of Design, Construction & Operations, Ark Data Centres.

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