Data-centre retrofit & lifecycle upgrades
Feasibility, design and delivery of asset replacements, capacity upgrades and phased interventions within operating facilities.
European design, engineering & construction
Complex projects. Controlled delivery.
Voltarra is a European design, engineering and construction partner for data centres and complex, high-performance environments - from feasibility and strategy through construction, commissioning and handover.
Seven European studios
Explore our studios- London
- Zurich
- Frankfurt
- Amsterdam
- Madrid
- Paris
- Milan
A connected delivery model
Thinking like a design firm. Delivering like a construction company.
A strong design is only valuable if it survives procurement, construction, commissioning and operation. That is where many complex projects start to lose control.
Voltarra brings construction knowledge, specialist market input and commissioning thinking into the design process early, then carries the technical intent through delivery. Cost, programme, supply chain, buildability and operational requirements are tested while the design can still respond.
Better design is not just about better drawings. It is about a clearer route to delivery.
About Voltarra
Backbone™
One connected route from feasibility to operational readiness.
Buildable by design. Cost certainty by process. Delivered with control.
Backbone™ is Voltarra's eight-stage delivery method for controlling cost, programme and risk from feasibility to handover.
Explore Backbone™- 1.0Feasibility & Strategy
- 2.0Concept Engineering
- 3.0Engineering Design
- 4.0Technical Design
- 5.0Pre-Contract
- 6.0Pre-Construction
- 7.0Construction
- 8.0Post-Construction & Close-Out
Capabilities
From feasibility and strategy to operational readiness.
Voltarra connects the decisions that shape a project with the people responsible for delivering it. Our services can be appointed individually or combined through one accountable design and construction route.
- 01Design & BuildSingle-point accountability for design, procurement, construction and commissioning, with the team that develops the technical solution remaining connected through delivery.
- 02Construction ManagementSpecialist package procurement and subcontractor coordination under one controlled programme, suited to complex, phased and fast-track projects.
- 03M&E DesignCoordinated mechanical, electrical and public-health design, developed with buildability, specialist input, operational requirements and commissioning in mind.
- 04White Space Fit-OutData-hall fit-out, containment, power, cooling, structured cabling and supporting systems within shell-and-core, expansion and live operational environments.
- 05Critical Infrastructure UpgradesPower, cooling, resilience and lifecycle replacement projects planned around live services, controlled isolations and business-critical operations.
- 06Professional ServicesFeasibility & Strategy, due diligence, technical advisory, cost planning, programme development and delivery strategy for complex capital projects.
- 07Facilities AuditCondition surveys, capacity reviews, resilience assessments and asset-lifecycle analysis for existing technical facilities.
- 08Testing & CommissioningCommissioning strategy developed from design, including factory testing, Levels 1-5, integrated systems testing, load-bank testing and operational handover.
Engineering drawings laid out for coordinationOur specialist areas
Where technical complexity and operational continuity matter most.
Voltarra is engaged where design decisions, live operations, specialist systems and demanding programmes need to be controlled as one connected delivery challenge.
Critical power infrastructure
UPS, generators, switchgear, distribution and resilience upgrades planned around the operational constraints of live environments.
Cooling & environmental systems
Cooling architecture, plant replacement, distribution, controls and environmental performance coordinated with electrical and operational requirements.
White-space delivery
Rack layouts, containment, power distribution, cooling, cabling and integrated systems for new, expanded and repurposed data halls.
Capacity expansion
Extensions, densification and infrastructure modifications that increase capacity while protecting the performance of the existing operation.
Commissioning & operational readiness
Testing and commissioning planned from design so that handover confirms performance rather than discovering unresolved dependencies.
Sectors
Complex environments. One standard of delivery.
- 01
Data Centres & ColocationCapacity, resilience and operational continuity - planned together. - 02Enterprise & Critical InfrastructureChange delivered around systems that cannot stop.
- 03
Laboratories & Life SciencesTechnical environments where performance has to be proven. - 04Industrial & Advanced ManufacturingInfrastructure coordinated around production.
- 05
WorkplaceDesign quality with delivery discipline.
Health, safety & assurance
Safety is the first deliverable.
In live, mission-critical environments, safety and operational continuity are not constraints on delivery - they are fundamental project requirements.
Voltarra integrates risk review, sequencing, isolations, temporary provisions, competence, change control and assurance from the earliest stage. The same discipline that protects people protects the asset, the programme and the client's operation.
Health, safety & assurance- 01
Leadership & accountability
Directors and delivery leaders set expectations, allocate competent resources and remain accountable for implementation.
- 02
Planning & risk prevention
Hazards are eliminated where reasonably practicable, with remaining risks assessed and controlled before work begins.
- 03
Competence & supply-chain control
Consultants, contractors and specialists are selected, appointed and supervised according to the capability required for their role.
- 04
Assurance & learning
Inspections, audits, incidents, actions and lessons learned are recorded, reviewed and carried into future standards and project controls.
Our Studios
Regional consistency. Local presence.
A pan-European programme is not delivered from one place. Permitting, supply chains, labour markets, regulations and routes to approval differ by city. Backbone™ maintains a consistent standard; local presence turns that standard into a buildable plan.
Explore our studiosZurichGroup headquarters
- London
- Frankfurt
- Amsterdam
- Madrid
- Paris
- Milan
Latest thinking
Perspectives on better delivery.
Our thinking on design, delivery and the decisions that shape complex projects.
01
Involve the people who will build it, while the design can still change.
In a traditional process, specialist contractors arrive after the design is set. Backbone™ brings M&E, structural and modular specialists in at concept stage, so their input shapes routing, access, sequencing, lead-time strategy and buildability while the design can still move.
Read on LinkedIn — Involve the people who will build it, while the design can still change.02
Appointed to support a new technical project in Paris.
Our scope includes technical review, feasibility, design, engineering and progressive budgeting — bringing cost, programme, buildability and delivery thinking into the process from the outset, so the client holds more control before the project is locked in.
Read on LinkedIn — Appointed to support a new technical project in Paris.03
Tender reveals the problem. It did not create it.
Projects rarely go over budget at tender. Tender is usually the point where the problem becomes visible. Buildability, market pricing and specialist knowledge need to shape the design while it can still move — not after it has been issued for tender.
Read on LinkedIn — Tender reveals the problem. It did not create it.04
Thinking like a design firm. Delivering like a construction company.
A strong design is only valuable if it survives contact with procurement, construction, commissioning and operation. Voltarra connects technical intent with the cost, programme, supply chain and buildability decisions required to deliver it.
Read on LinkedIn — Thinking like a design firm. Delivering like a construction company.Planning a project?
Talk to Voltarra about the technical, commercial and delivery decisions that need to be resolved before they reach site.