OPW Data Centre

Designer Group (DG) and Duggan Brothers (DBL) successfully partnered to deliver a state-of-the-art data centre development in Celbridge, Co. Kildare. DG appointed DBL as its Civil, Structural, and Architectural (CSA) partner for the project. Now complete, the facility was constructed on a 1.359-hectare site within the 140-hectare Backweston campus and comprises a two-storey data centre featuring high-performance infrastructure and modern administrative spaces.

Building Design and Layout
The completed building has a gross floor area of approximately 5,474 square metres, with an additional 2,826 square metres dedicated to external plant space. The data centre is made up of three distinct components. At its core is a two-storey central block with a mono-pitch roof reaching a ridge height of 15.15 metres, which houses both ground and first-floor data halls, along with associated plant and equipment rooms. The front block, designed with a flat roof and parapet, is two to three storeys in height and contains the main reception, office areas, meeting rooms, staff support areas, tea station, storage, ablution facilities, and key infrastructure services. These include an ESB substation (3MVA), client medium voltage (MV) rooms, transformer rooms, fibre meet-me rooms, and network fibre rooms.

External Plant and Site Infrastructure
To the rear of the main data hall block, the third section comprises an external two-storey plant area, complete with staircases and intermediate gangways for efficient access and maintenance. This area is screened with a durable metal mesh structure. In addition, two internal, flat-roofed plant rooms—each two storeys high—connect to the central block, supporting seamless system integration. The completed facility includes a perimeter service road, ensuring full access for operational and maintenance requirements around the entire building.

Site Development Works
The development also included all associated site works, such as the installation of site services, hard landscaping, boundary treatments, and other ancillary elements. Delivered to the highest standards of quality and performance, the completed data centre stands as a robust, secure, and future-ready facility designed to support critical infrastructure and business continuity.