Sagrada Familia CIO picks up award for micro data centre installation

Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona, the 133-year-old Gothic magnum opus of Catalan architect Andoni Gaudi, has won an award for its micro data centre which the project’s CIO said offers “adaptable and scalable infrastructure in a period of transformation”.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site’s state-of-the-art customised prefabricated data centre from Schneider Electric picked up the Modular Deployment gong at the DatacenterDynamics EMEA Leaders Awards in London.

Sagrada Familia CIO Fernando Villa said: “The security of our IT operations is vital. To ensure adaptable and scalable infrastructure in a period of transformation meant we needed to think laterally.

“The micro data centre fully meets our requirements in terms of portability and adaptability with no inconvenience to tourists, construction work or the way we function as an active church.”

The data centre requires minimal installation and can be easily moved when necessary preventing disruption to tourists at the most visited attraction in Barcelona.

The unit was installed during a complex phase of the construction where no fixed space was available on the site. Outsourcing had been dismissed as a viable option and a specifically ruggedised data centre with enhanced air filtration and shock absorption systems was required to cope with the conditions on the site.

Construction on Sagrada Familia commenced in 1882, and in October 2015 the current chief architect Jordi Fauli announced the construction was 70% complete and had entered its final phase. The church is scheduled to be completed in 2026, the centenary of Gaudi’s death.

Image by Edward Qualtrough