The pursuit of a better way is the mission that is at the heart of Mace. Built on our vision of providing service excellence to our clients, we have developed a delivery approach that encompasses the unique challenges of constructing a data centre anywhere in Europe.
1. Planning
A new project can be full of unknowns around design, risk, cost and assurance of delivery. At Mace, we are committed to getting under the skin of a project - offering unparalleled knowledge to understand, support, and drive your delivery right from the start.
In this stage, we plan all areas of the project, including country-specific procurement strategies, impact on the local community right through to design constraints, local planning and permissions and on into delivery. The earlier we get involved, the better.
We provide a workshop approach to build relationships, agree key project objectives and success criteria and understand the risks. Our team of specialists will work with you to agree costs, propose innovations and identify opportunities for added value whilst developing your design. This places us in the right stead for an efficient and successful project.
2. Mobilisation
From our head-office based in London, and with already active data centre construction sites in Ireland, Denmark and the Netherlands, our team are ready to mobilise anywhere in Europe.
Hyperscale data centres are typically located on large campuses often rural areas and across different countries. As a global company, Mace have offices across the world, and our data centre delivery teams build on this knowledge to develop close relationships with the local supply chain and surrounding community. Many of our staff also love the opportunity to work in a new country and we provide a range of support including language courses and local events to engage and facilitate this transition.
We understand local laws and permissions and provide training to all staff and contractors that work on our sites so you can be assured that every Mace construction site has the same level of health, safety and quality of delivery in every location.
3. Delivery
Our team of industry specialists will work with you to design, manage and build your data centre. We are continuously improving our methods and using new technologies and procedures to deliver faster, safer and at a lower cost.
All of our current projects are on campuses over 200 hectares - that is a lot of people, tools, materials and deliveries to manage. We have developed specialist Project Controls system that has improved contractor monitoring and performance and which has in some cases reduced the overall delivery durations on site. The high-quality, repetitive nature of data centres mean much of the delivery lends itself nicely to prefabrication.
Our team have optimised prefabrication opportunities which are used across the entire delivery including plenums, fit out frames and electrical skids. By monitoring our results across each new project we know these innovations have significantly reduced health and safety risks on site by minimising working at height activities and improved the overall quality of delivery.
4. Aftercare
As a project comes to a close, our support to our clients doesn’t change. Just like mobilisation and procurement of a project, the demobilisation and aftercare support Mace provides is critical to ensure your building fulfils it’s optimum performance.
A streamline and efficient handover of the facility is essential to the success of all of our projects. From an early stage key areas in the handover process are identified and measures are put in place, this includes an integrated client training programme and also early completion of the Operation & Maintenance (O&M) manual.
We set out to build strong relationships with our clients that last long after completion of a project and that often leads to further phases of work. We work with our clients to understand their operational requirements and build training modules and videos to ensure every operative has the right knowledge at their fingertips and our key people stay on site to support this transition.
The Market
Mace has offices all over the world who can provide local knowledge about the construction market. We use this resource and conduct industry research to produce a regular market update.
By understanding key trends and market forecasts we can provide advice to achieve the best value in construction delivery. This can include anything from labour and material costs to country policies and planning procedures.
Health and Safety
Minimising risks on our projects requires a robust safety management system, one that is based on high standards of leadership and accountability supported by effective mechanisms that record trends and provide appropriate feedback and improvement processes to develop a positive, trusting, and open safety culture.
By developing new ways of working we have made sure that every project is delivered on time and in the safest environment. Our International Technology team have even been awarded 5 stars in the BSC 5-star audit and a Sword of Honour on consecutive years, an achievement unmatched in European construction.
For more information on our industry-leading approach visit the Mace Group website.
Responsible Business
We are proud to be a responsible business ensuring that shared value is a culture that spans the company. This approach is shared with our partners and delivered throughout each Mace project and programme.
One example is how we engage with the local community prior to construction to promote clarity and communication in order to successfully mitigate any potential impact caused by working onsite. We meet with local council and authorities to agree and devise on all mitigation strategies to protect the environment and local area. Our teams also actively volunteer and raise money for local charities with one campus in Ireland alone volunteering over 500 hours.
For more information on our Responsible Business strategy visit the Mace Group website.