McLaren Construction appointed as contractor for 70MW first phase of Ada Infrastructure's flagship Docklands data centre campus
Key points
McLaren Construction has been awarded a shell and core contract to build the first of three 70MW data centre buildings at Ada Infrastructure’s Docklands data centre campus, its first development in Europe.
McLaren’s contract includes the infrastructure for the whole campus and the interface for a future district heating network.
The flagship 210 MW data centre campus in London's Royal Docks will form a strategic hub for AI, cloud and hyperscale operations for some of the world’s most transformational companies. The delivery of this campus builds on Ada’s global experience, with several campuses in various phases of operation and development across the Americas and Japan.
In addition to the three 70 MW data centre buildings, the project features a community multi-purpose facility and enhanced public spaces around the site, including improved pathways for pedestrians and cyclists along the River Thames following extensive repairs and improvements to the Thames River wall, including the construction of a new flood defence barrier.
The data centre buildings feature innovative energy solutions, including air and liquid cooling systems, that operate without water evaporation, usage of low-carbon building materials and provisions for a district heating system interconnection. The campus is engineered to be AI-ready from day one, capable of adapting to the intensive power and cooling requirements of AGPU-based applications. It is sustainably designed to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating.
Head of Ada Infrastructure EMEA, James Moloney, commented, “The appointment of McLaren Construction is an important step in bringing this vision to life. Their experience delivering complex data centre and infrastructure projects will be instrumental as we transform this long-vacant site into a sustainable, future-focused campus that also enhances public spaces and contributes to the wider regeneration of the Royal Docks.”
Gareth Peebles, Divisional Director for McLaren Construction, comments: "A project of this scale requires a balance of expertise across multiple disciplines, including putting health and safety as atop priority. McLaren has built a tried-and-tested team of specialists in civil, structural, architectural and MEP packages, infrastructure and datacentre fit out. We will combine that expertise with our experience of safe and successful delivering within the many constraints of London's Docklands sites."
McLaren's supply chain for the project includes neighbouring Capital Concrete and Keltbray Environmental, supporting local jobs and significantly reducing carbon emissions.
McLaren's supply chain partners confirmed at this stage include:
- CFA piling: Keltbray
- BMC piling: Menard
- Groundwork and civils: Gallagher
- Steel frame: William Hare
McLaren Construction has delivered over £1billion in value of high quality, robust and secure data centres in the UK and Middle East, including hyperscale, Class 4, co-location and bespoke customer-specific facilities for many of the largest blue-chip companies in the world. McLaren's experience enables it to deliver facilities with enhanced resilience, energy efficiency and the best possible uptime, while staying within financial budgets and time constraints. Past projects have been located in London, Surrey, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
McLaren’s shell and core contract is due to be completed mid 2028 so that the first building of the Ada Docklands Campus will be ready for occupation by the end of 2028.
