Construction begins on major data centre at Vancouver's Harbour Centre

Spencer Building at Harbour Centre in downtown Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Two office floors of the heritage building section of Harbour Centre in downtown Vancouver will become a major state-of-the-art data centre.

The project was first announced a year ago, with construction within the space now set to begin in August 2023 after securing all of the necessary permits.

Some pre-construction work was completed last year, including the completion of new manhole entrances under the sidewalk to provide the data centre with an added layer of security. According to the operator, such manholes, typically reserved for utilities, are the first of its kind in Vancouver.

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The two data centre halls will have a combined total floor area of 43,000 sq ft, containing the latest IT infrastructure and connectivity services to provide enterprises, cloud providers, and service providers with fast, direct connections and expanded capacity required for Metro Vancouver’s growing digital-based economy. There will be over 20,000 connected fibres.

It will be the primary Canadian landing point for the brand-new Cascadia fibre artery connecting Vancouver and Seattle.

Manholes installed for Spencer Building Carrier Hotel, May 2022. (Polaris Realty)

The Spencer Building Carrier Hotel is projected to be operational by late 2024.

The Spencer Building was originally completed in 1926, and it was previously home to the major department stores of Spencer, Eaton’s, and then Sears, which left the premises in 1987. Simon Fraser University opened a satellite campus within Harbour Centre in 1989.

Since 2016, Polaris Realty has also been conducting rehabilitation work on the heritage features of the Spencer Building, including its Gothic revival and art deco exterior.

spencer building carrier hotel data centre harbour centre vancouver

Spencer Building at Harbour Centre in downtown Vancouver. (Google Maps)

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