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Bristol construction firm behind Isambard-AI wins top regional award
A Bristol-based construction firm, whose past projects include the recently opened Isambard-AI supercomputer facility in Emersons Green, has won a top industry award.
Oakland Construction recently won a gong at the Constructing South West Awards under ‘Modern Methods of Construction’ category for the installation of a state-of-the-art modular data centre to house the UK’s fastest supercomputer.
Just over a year ago, the site now home to Isambard-AI was still a car park. Thanks to the innovative construction methods adopted by the firm, a project that would take three to five years was completed within a year, ready in time for secretary of state Peter Kyle to unveil it to the world.
Isambard-AI on Emersons Green was completed within a year, defying the projected timescale
The £225m facility, hosted and facilitated by the University of Bristol, is installed with 5,400 NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper ‘superchips’ delivered in collaboration with HPE.
Isambard-AI has propelled itself into the top tier as the greenest supercomputer in the UK and the second greenest in the world.
The construction firm credits the achievement to the use of modular construction, which significantly reduced on-site build time and led to an estimated 72 per cent reduction in carbon emissions compared to traditional methods.
Oakland Construction recently won an award at the Constructing South West Awards under ‘Modern Methods of Construction’ category
Modular construction involves building sections of a structure off-site in a factory, then transporting and assembling them on location. The approach is lauded for being faster, more efficient and generating less waste, offering significant sustainability and quality advantages over conventional construction.
Tom Lee-Fox, managing director at Oakland Construction, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have been recognised in this prestigious award. The success of the project showcases the scale of innovation that can be achieved through effective collaboration between the public and private sector.
“Delivering a modular build of this scale in such a short time frame is a testament to the dedication, expertise and collaborative ethos of the whole project team, most notably our own team, the University of Bristol and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).”
Professor Simon McIntosh-Smith (left), professor of high performance computing at the University of Bristol and Isambard-AI project lead, during a visit to the future home of Isambard-AI
Other high profile local projects of the firm includes Gympanzees’ accessible exercise and social centre for children with disabilities near the Severn Bridge.
All photos: Oakland Construction
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