Pure Data Centres begins construction on second building at Brent Cross campus in London

UK operator Pure Data Centres has started construction on the second building at its Brent Cross campus in North London, marking the final major build phase of the LON01 site. General contractor Glencar has commenced piling works for the West Shell of the 70MW LON01 B2 facility, a project that will extend the campus by more than 23,000 sqm (247,570 sq ft) and bring total capacity to 90MW.

The B2 development is scheduled for completion in Q2 2029 and will feature closed-loop liquid cooling to support high-density AI inference and cloud workloads. The building will also be home to one of the world's largest living walls, featuring more than 750,000 plants. Glencar's scope of work includes delivery of the West Cold Shell, incorporating piling and foundations, underground services, structural frame, connections to the adjacent East Cold Shell, concrete and slab works, stair cores, building envelope, and roofing.

The commencement of piling represents a significant step forward for the Brent Cross campus, which has been central to Pure's investment strategy in London's digital infrastructure. Dan Priest, campus delivery director at Pure DC, said: "Piling commencement represents an important milestone in the continued development of our Brent Cross campus. LON01B2 is a major part of our investment in London's digital infrastructure, and it is encouraging to see the final stage of construction now progressing on site. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Glencar and the wider project team as the development moves forward."

The project comes amid sustained demand for data center capacity in the UK capital, driven by the growth of cloud computing and AI workloads. Pure, established in 2015 and backed by funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, currently has more than 500MW of IT capacity in operation or development across markets in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The London-based company has projects live and in development across London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin, Abu Dhabi, Madrid, Jakarta, and Seinäjoki.

Roy Jones, managing director of London and the South at Glencar, added: "Seeing piling get underway marks the transition into the structural phase of the programme. Delivering a project of this scale within a live and highly constrained data centre campus requires detailed planning, close collaboration and careful coordination across every stage."

The Brent Cross expansion follows planning permission secured last year, with Pure announcing plans earlier this year. The company also has a 56MW facility in development in Park Royal alongside Segro. As the construction phase progresses, the project is expected to play a key role in strengthening London's position as a major European digital infrastructure hub.