Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, announces its 50:50 Far East joint venture, Gammon construction, has been awarded a SD$253m (c.£139m) data centre contract in Singapore for Global Switch, a leading owner, operator and developer of large-scale, carrier and cloud neutral, multi-tenanted data centres across Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Works to the data centre, which is located in the northern region of Singapore, and which will house Global Switch’s customers’ computer and telecommunications systems, will include the construction of a six-storey precast structure containing ten data suites. Gammon Construction will utilise Building Information Modelling (BIM) to generate and manage vital project data to enhance construction efficiencies.
Global Switch’s Singapore Woodlands data centre is the first project in the island state to adopt prefabricated mechanical and electrical and plumbing (MEP) modular techniques on a large scale. Gammon are assembling over 60% of the MEP works off-site and also over 70% of the structure was precast off-site. This method of manufacturing elements off-site has multiple benefits including increased productivity, safety and quality.
Thomas Ho, Chief Executive of Gammon, said: “This project which will increase our portfolio of significant projects in Singapore, is another opportunity to showcase our expertise in modern construction techniques and delivery. Gammon’s continued successful delivery of projects in Singapore enhances our customers’ confidence in our expertise.”
The data centre is due to launch later this year. A workforce of 700 will be engaged at the peak construction period.
About Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty (balfourbeatty.com) is a leading international infrastructure group. With 28,000 employees, we provide innovative and efficient infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, supports communities and enables economic growth. We finance, develop, build and maintain complex infrastructure such as transportation, power and utility systems, social and commercial buildings.
Our main geographies are the UK & Ireland, US and Far East. Over the last 100 years we have created iconic buildings and infrastructure all over the world including the London Olympics’ Aquatic Centre, Hong Kong’s first Zero Carbon building, the National Museum of the Marine Corps in the US and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.
Gammon Construction (www.gammonconstruction.com), headquartered in Hong Kong, is a 50/50 joint venture between Balfour Beatty and Jardine Matheson, the Asian-based conglomerate. The two companies have worked in partnership since 2004 to forge a reputation for delivering high quality projects for customers throughout China and Southeast Asia. The business is a major player in the Hong Kong and Singapore roads market. Gammon’s service extends over the full project life-cycle, from initial site survey and design through construction to commissioning and ongoing maintenance.
Gammon’s current project portfolio includes; Plantation Road a HKD $800 million (c. £79m) deluxe residential development project in Hong Kong, the HK$3bn development of eight medium rise residential blocks and four houses with a two-level basement overlooking Tai Po’s Tolo Harbour in Northern Hong Kong, on behalf of Great Eagle Group. The HK$1.6bn Lee Garden Three Project, in the heart of Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, a building with 20 floors of offices sitting above a five-level podium of retail and food outlets and a S$174m contract for the design and construction of the Mayflower Station on the Thomson Line for the Land Transport Authority.
Iconic projects of the past include the HK$2.2bn Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor, a 3.5km, dual three-lane carriageway, suspended mostly above the waters of Deep Bay and the motorway approaches for downtown Hong Kong. Gammon has also delivered a 68-storey One Island East office building, a skyscraper on the eastern shore of Hong Kong Island. This HK$2.3bn project relied on digital project management systems to enable collaboration across all disciplines and reduce construction waste.
