Data Centers: Data4 accelerates and boosts construction capacity

Data4’s mission: to build hyperconnected, resilient and responsible data center campuses to support the growth of its customers in Europe. In a world of digital transformation and an increasingly digitised economy, the financing, design, construction and operation of data centers is more important than ever. These challenges have pushed Data4 to enhance its Design & Construction unit. More details below.

A Design & Construction unit in full development

Data4, major European operator and investor in the data center market, has recently reorganised its teams to support its exponential growth in Europe. To this end, Marie Chabanon, Chief Technical Officer with Data4 Group, will welcome new talents to her teams:

Thomas De Colle is now Head of Design & Construction South Europe;
Mark Fletcher is appointed Head of Design & Construction Northern and Central Europe.

Data4 has created these regional design and construction units as part of its growth strategy to fulfil its ambitions and support the expansion of its data center platform in Europe. This strategy includes a new way of building and designing data centers to minimise the environmental footprint of all the Group’s business throughout the life cycle analysis (LCA).

Combining ecological transition and digital performance

Strengthening Data4’s design and construction unit is part of an objective to build data centers that meet the highest standards. By integrating life cycle analysis into all its projects, Data4 has developed a methodological, focused approach to meet its own needs and those of its customers.

LCA: a necessary method for all stakeholders

Life cycle analysis is an assessment method used to design more environmentally friendly services and products. This process entails auditing all the flows and impacts related to designing and producing a product or service from start to finish. The analysis includes all life cycles: extracting the raw materials required for production; distribution, use, disposal and elimination; end-of-life processes and all transport phases. This is an exhaustive assessment that seeks to determine environmental impact.

Data4 thereby aims to limit natural resource consumption in the construction phase and improve how it manages energy consumption in the operations phase.

Creating regional construction units

To meet these ambitious construction objectives, Data4 has decided to separate its activities into two regions and create a Head of Design & Construction position for each regional unit. The South Europe unit includes Data4 Group’s historical markets in France, Spain and Italy. The unit covering Central and Northern Europe includes Poland and the new markets in this region where Data4 intends to set up business.

Thomas De Colle, Head of Design & Construction South Europe

Thomas de Colle has more than 15 years of experience in the construction sector. After kicking off his career with Saipem as Lead Planning Engineer from 2007 to 2011, Thomas joined Bouygues Energies & Services in 2011 as Project Manager before joining Bouygues Bâtiment International in 2019. Thomas joined Data4 Group in February 2021 in the position of Design & Construction Project Manager. He has continued is professional development within the group, and was appointed Head of Design & Construction South Europe in January 2022. In this role, Thomas meets two main objectives: supporting company development through strategic projects, and standardising data center component systems to boost performance in limit environmental footprint.

Thomas graduated from the Ecole Centrale de Marseille in 2007 with a degree in Industrial Systems Engineering.

Mark Fletcher, Head of Design & Construction Northern and Central Europe

Mark Fletcher has over 30 years of experience in the construction and building services sector. After having held several positions in the United Kingdom earlier in his career, Mark joined A. Epstein & Sons in Warsaw in 1999 as Vice President Key Account Manager. In 2014 he was appointed Associate Director for Building Services with the Kuwaiti group SSH, before joining Arcadis in 2016 as Technical Director MEP (Middle East) in Manila. Between 2018 and 2021, Mark held the post of Associate Director – Operations Manager at Hoare Lea Consulting group. In September 2021, he joined Data4 as Technical Director and was appointed to the position of Head of Design & Construction Eastern Europe in January 2022.

Mark is based in Warsaw and graduated from Bath Spa College with a major in Electrical Engineering/Electronics & Building services.