Frankfurt, capital of the Internet and cloud computing — start for eleven data centers with an IT area of 100,000 m² in Frankfurt
Interxion celebrates the start of construction of the Digital Park Fechenheim and expands its presence in the east of Frankfurt.
Interxion last week laid the foundation stone for its new Digital Park Fechenheim data center campus. After receiving the relevant permits, the global market leader for colocation, together with representatives of the City of Frankfurt, the State Office for Monument Preservation of Hesse and other partners, started construction on the first FRA 17 data center with an official ceremony on the former Neckermann site in the east of Frankfurt. The new Digital Park Fechenheim will be built there in the coming years — a state-of-the-art, sustainable campus with eleven data centers and an IT area of 100,000 square meters. As part of this, the listed Egon-Eiermann building and its existing building fabric will be converted in a resource-efficient manner. In addition, the new data centers will be built in accordance with international standards for environmentally friendly building. This makes the Digital Park Fechenheim an innovative large-scale project that sustainably strengthens Frankfurt as the capital for Internet and cloud computing as well as the backbone of the digital infrastructure. In addition, it gives companies access to networked ecosystems (“data communities”), which are essential for their activities today. This was made possible solely through the successful cooperation of all actors involved. In addition, it gives companies access to networked ecosystems (“data communities”), which are essential for their activities today. This was made possible solely through successful cooperation between all the actors involved. In addition, it gives companies access to networked ecosystems (“data communities”), which are essential for their activities today. This was made possible solely through the successful cooperation of all actors involved.
“Today is a big day — not only for us at Interxion, but also for Frankfurt, the world’s leading digital location. Working together with the City of Frankfurt and the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in Hesse, we have managed to develop a pioneering and sustainable concept for the former Neckermann site and the listed Eiermann building, ”says Volker Ludwig, Managing Director of Interxion Germany. “The start of construction work on our new data center campus is an important milestone for our business location and future-proof digitization. We would like to thank everyone involved all the more for the partnership. “
“I am convinced that we have found a good and future-proof use here — both for the listed former Neckermann main building and for the entire area”, says Frankfurt’s planning department head Mike Josef. “With the Digital Park Fechenheim, Interxion is also implementing requirements that we are currently formulating in a development concept for the location control of data centers. This creates a new data center cluster, the existing infrastructure is used and converted, the former main building is retained, roofs and facades are partially greened. Certain parts of the area are also made publicly accessible to a certain extent. A renewable energy supply and an efficient use of waste heat are implemented. In short: the project saves space,
“The Neckermann dispatch center, built in Fechenheim in 1959/60 according to plans by Egon Eiermann, was considered the largest construction site in Europe at the time. The seven-storey, over 300m long block was completed in just one year. The major project, which has won many awards, can only be compared with the Quelle dispatch center in Fürth throughout Germany. At that time, this large structure was a novelty. The construction of the Neckermann mail order center not only marks the beginning of the modern mail order business, but also represents a time of economic and social upswing in the Federal Republic of Germany after the Second World War. The restoration of the original, The differentiated colors of the facade and the preservation of the spatial structure of the former company canteen are to be seen as a success for the Hessian monument landscape and the nationwide architectural history ”, says Prof. Dr. Markus Harzenetter, President of the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in Hesse. Harzenetter emphasizes that it is not a matter of course that historical design elements are integrated in such an appreciative way in a plan whose aim is not only to convert the building, but also to adapt it to new technical standards. This has succeeded in an exemplary manner and can be attributed to the trusting and open discussions with all those involved. It is not a matter of course that historical design elements are integrated in such an appreciative manner in a plan whose aim is not only to change the use of the building, but also to adapt it to new technical standards. This has succeeded in an exemplary manner and can be attributed to the trusting and open discussions with all those involved. It is not a matter of course that historical design elements are integrated in such an appreciative manner in a plan whose aim is not only to change the use of the building, but also to adapt it to new technical standards. This has succeeded in an exemplary manner and can be attributed to the trusting and open discussions with all those involved.
With the investment and development of the Digital Park Fechenheim in Frankfurt, Interxion is underlining the importance of the region: Companies need a solid digital infrastructure in order to be able to process, analyze and evaluate growing amounts of data. On the former Neckermann site, Interxion would like to develop a new data center campus with an IT capacity of up to 200 MW in the final expansion in order to meet this demand. An innovative urban planning concept was adopted for the entire area, which includes the recultivation of the green areas. Accordingly, more than 10,000 square meters of area will be unsealed and the tree population will be increased significantly. The plans also provide for green facades and partial greening of the roofs of the new data centers. A pond will also be created in the center of the campus. The aim of these extensive measures is to make an active contribution to the positive development of the urban climate. The irrigation of the green areas is ensured by rainwater that is collected in cisterns. These also feed the pond, which could be used for extinguishing water purposes, among other things. The use of rainwater resources by the municipal office for green spaces is also taken into account.
Further sustainability initiatives for the Digital Park Fechenheim are also being planned. The new data centers will not only be supplied with 100 percent electricity from renewable energies, they will also examine whether they can generate their own electricity. To this end, Interxion is currently investigating all campus areas in extensive simulations to determine whether they are suitable for the installation of photovoltaic modules — with the aim of not only producing their own green electricity, but also increasing efficiency in the cooling of the data centers and office space through shading .
The recycling of waste heat is also included in the planning. Around 18,000 square meters of office and storage space will be built in the Eiermann building, and the waste heat generated in the adjacent data centers will be used to heat them. Additional concepts for further feeding into local and district heating networks are currently being worked out and are about to be completed.
With the expansion of the former Neckermann site to the Digital Park Fechenheim, which is only around one kilometer from the Ostend campus, Interxion is significantly expanding its presence in the east of Frankfurt and thus the footprint of its global data center platform PlatformDIGITAL®. The company thus offers its customers access to over 290 facilities in 47 major cities. Both locations are connected to one another via redundant fiber optic lines and several piping systems. Interxion thus enables its customers to achieve scalable and seamless growth in the immediate vicinity of DE-CIX and, thanks to minimal latency, offers them the ideal colocation environment for future-oriented applications and business models (AI, digital transformation, etc.).
