Global property group Goodman recently announced plans to transform the site of a former printing plant in Frankfurt into a powered shell data centre with up to 100 MVA of power capacity. Frankfurt is among Europe’s top data centre markets alongside London, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin.
The Goodman FRA II Data Centre in Neu-Isenburg, south of Frankfurt, will offer a power capacity of up to 100 MVA, ready for customers to install their technical fit-out. Wider sustainability features of the development include a green façade to support biodiversity and positively contribute to micro-climatic conditions, while the property will be waste heat recovery ready, offering customers the opportunity to reuse their excess heat.
Goodman’s team will apply its extensive experience in brownfield regeneration to deliver the scheme, maintaining its focus on brownfield developments in Germany as well as all over Continental Europe.
In close proximity to Frankfurt, Neu-Isenburg’s benefits from a low risk profile and strong existing infrastructure and connectivity, with more than six on-net fibre providers nearby and within nine kilometres of DE-CIX and Hanauer Landstraße in Frankfurt.
In an interview with Logistics Watch, Christof Prange, country manager, Goodman Germany, explains the wider attractions of Germany and the business’s expansion plans.
Logistics Watch (LW): What is so interesting about the data centre market in Germany and Europe for Goodman?
Christof Prange (CP): Goodman’s move into data centres is the increasing use of data globally and the resulting growth in data storage requirements. This means we’ve seen increased customer demand for our data centre capabilities, with a similar focus on strategic locations, connectivity and power to our industrial property activity. Our footprint and forward planning on securing key locations means we are able to meet our customers’ data centre requirements and their future needs.
Frankfurt is a prime example for us being the largest data centre market in Continental Europe and the second largest of all European markets after London. Frankfurt’s success is bound to continue given its core fundamentals that drive data centre growth (population size, GDP, DE-CIX presence and overall digitalisation of the society).
Goodman also has a proven track record in data centres, having developed our first more than two decades ago in Sydney, Australia. Since then, we have developed almost 500,000 m2 of data centre space globally across several sites and procured over 600MW of dedicated power across multiple regional platforms for a range of customers.
Now, in Continental Europe, our local teams are working with colleagues overseas to continue to apply their experience and develop powered shells in key data centre markets. The market and the demand are there so it is in the interest of Goodman to capitalise on it and address the issue.
LW: Data centres typically have high power consumption - how are you making them more sustainable?
CP: We recognise the enormous power requirements of data centres and we want our data centres to stand the test of time while minimising their environmental impact. We’re aiming to have customers using 24/7 green energy to power their data centres and a number of our hyperscale and data centre operator customers have already concluded green electricity power purchase agreements to run their businesses.
We provide strategic locations within core data centre markets and availability zones with high power capacity for a range of hyperscale and data centre operator customers to install their advanced technology in our buildings. There can be concerns regarding the environment as well as urban development with data centre developments, many of which we work hard to mitigate. On top of it, we are constantly looking into ways of upgrading our designs and using innovative solutions in construction.
In these locations, Goodman is also looking to employ a range of sustainability features in the property – from revitalising the brownfield site to waterless cooling. Solutions also include circular demolition techniques employed with the existing buildings on the site; plans for green building certification, such as LEED Core and Shell; preliminary permit designs including efficient and state-of-the-art technical installations, as well as waste heat recovery-ready schemes. We also focus on green façades to support biodiversity and positively contribute to micro-climatic conditions; green roofs and PV installation on office buildings and ancillary buildings; high-quality outdoor facilities to support employee wellbeing; and electric vehicle parking.
Collectively we are working at all levels to address this and will continue to do so with developing technologies and with our further work on data centres in the future.
LW: Are you managing to find sufficient brownfield sites for your development strategies?
CP: The team here at Goodman has managed to find consistent and sufficient brownfield redevelopment is seen as an obligation for the team as it fits in with our sustainable approach, this is made capable through our extensive local knowledge and expertise.
With conversions of industries happening all over Continental Europe, large-scale plots of former production plants are being made available to the market. In accordance with our sustainability strategy and making use of our skills, experience and capability in redeveloping these sites, we’re able to offer customers and municipalities a wide range of different products and utilisation approaches to transform these vacant plots into new industrial developments within the individual urban context of each plot.
LW: What are your medium to long term ambitions for data centre expansion in Germany and in wider Continental Europe?
CP: Moving into data centre development in Europe is a natural evolution for our business, complementing our wider portfolio of logistics facilities, light industrial parks and multi-level developments in Continental Europe and given our significant global expertise in this area.
Therefore, we see the growth due to the increasing demand a natural progression also - the growing need paired with our expertise to us makes data centre expansion provides us with an ambition maintain our current service and adapt if necessary.
