DigiPlex has opened its second data center at the Fetsund campus in Lillestrøm Municipality Fetsund II is a 2,200 sq m (237,000 sq ft) facility and is the sixth data center to be operated by the company in Scandinavia The 3MW construction took just a year to complete after it began construction in September last year and joins Fetsund I The facility uses an indirect evaporative cooling system along with DigiPlex's air-to-air cooling system similar to other systems deployed by DigiPlex throughout Sweden and Norway The system uses the Norwegian climate and ambient temperature to cool down servers so DigiPlex won't have to invest as much in refrigeration The data center also uses a snowmelt and rainwater re-use system for cooling said: "We are seeing increased demand from both our enterprise customers who continue to move their digital infrastructure from on-premise solutions into combinations of colocation and cloud as well as from the largest IT companies in the world looking to capitalize on the advantages of placing their data centers in the Nordics." As Fetsund II opens its doors, DigiPlex is also building two other facilities in Norway. One is next to the two operative data centers on the Fetsund campus in Lillestrøm. The other, listed on the company's site The Hobøl facility is on a 40,000 sq m (430,000 sq ft) plot with options to buy an additional 27,000 sq m (290,000 sq ft) The new facility and other expansion projects are partly funded from a senior secured bond issue of NOK 655m (US$63m) completed in May This follows previous DigiPlex bonds - a NOK 1.8bn ($173m) listing in October 2019 Nesse added: “Both the location at Fetsund and Holtskogen are ideal have expansion possibilities and the closeness to Oslo provide low latency for our customers." Mayor of Lillestrøm Municipality Jørgen Vik said: "It is a pleasure as mayor to see that DigiPlex has chosen to invest further and expand its business in Lillestrøm Municipality It helps to confirm that Lillestrøm is an attractive place for future-oriented industries to establish themselves and that again contributes to new jobs." Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia with an exposed wooden structure painted in bright red the two-story building stands out among its natural surroundings drawing visitors’ attention and inviting them in. view from the river all images courtesy of aleksander wadas studio the new museum by aleksander wadas studio is formed as a volume that is slightly raised above the terrain with the wooden structure strongly emphasized in the exterior the wooden structural elements break down the scale giving the building a sense of lightness and depth the red paint of the exterior is inspired by the red-painted traditional scandinavian wooden buildings and makes the new museum distinguishable in both local and international contexts the design forms a strong relationship between the building and the water offering visitors pleasant views at all times with all main public functions -entrance hall auditorium and exhibition halls- being posititioned towards the water side of the building and the administration/employee and backdoor functions towards the land side the ground floor of the building is designed to provide maximum flexibility the exhibition halls allow immediate visual connection with the entrance area making visitor’s circulation natural and easy the building has two important main entrances- one from the water and one from the land which serves as a waiting and gathering area for those who arrive by bus there is an entrance for those arriving either by boat from the waterside separation of the wooden structure from the facade creates a range of unique spaces in forms of covered terraces with exposed wooden beams and columns these spaces are a sort of a buffer between the outside and inside the structure spans over the main access area providing necessary cover for the entrances and the outdoor seating of the restaurant along the exhibition halls the covered space offers possibilities for outdoor exhibitions or it can be a place to take a break from the exhibition exposed structure is present both in the exterior and interior of the building the exterior main structural elements are painted red the interior of the building is designed mainly with natural wood giving it a sense of warmth and softness the wooden floors of the interior spill out of the building seamlessly turning into wooden exterior terraces. facade axonometric view of the entrance area facade axonometric view of the restaurant area facade axonometric view of the exhibition area name: national logging museum and competence center for wetlands in fetsund architecture office: aleksander wadas studio project team: aleksander wadas designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here. edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom happening now! partnering with antonio citterio, AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function, but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style, context, and personal expression. the 200-year-old timber processing plant-turned-museum along the Glomma River you will notice small black wooden structures These were used for storing ice before the invention of the freezer The ice would be coated in tree sap at the lumber plant and then shipped off to castles and palaces around Europe Ice harvesting happened right in this spot much like it is depicted in the opening scenes of Frozen and head far north to see the aurora borealis light up the sky You’ll feel like you’re right in the scene where Elsa escapes to the mountains and builds her ice palace If you can make it all the way to the arctic archipelago of Svalbard it's easy to see the connection between the exterior (and interior) wood and brick patterns and the castle walls of Arendelle This stunning church served as the model for the chapel featured in Frozen during the coronation scene in which Elsa is crowned Queen of Arendelle That’s right—the name of everybody’s new favorite snowman Art director Michael Giaimo took the vision of a single snowflake and used it as the basis of Elsa’s crystalized world including her dramatic ice palace and glittering frozen cape This church completed construction in 1250 A.D and has been beautifully preserved ever since The triple-nave style is traditional for these stave churches and served as a model for much of the architecture in Frozen This royal residence was completed in 1778 and is one of the largest wooden structures in Scandinavia, stretching 190 feet along Munkegaten in Trondheim. Take a tour to experience the inner workings of Anna and Elsa’s castle This UNESCO Heritage Site is the old merchant quarter of Bergen and the only preserved business district from the Hanseatic period The wharf of Bryggen inspired the design of the city of Arendelle and restaurants bustling with activity and filled with charm and dramatic waterfalls make the fjords of Norway a truly magnificent experience Renditions of these vistas and waterfalls appear throughout Frozen Akershus Fortress was the model for Elsa and Anna’s castle in Frozen. You can take a guided walking tour of Akershus Fortress in Oslo to learn all the secrets and stories of this 500-year-old castle you aren’t going to see 8,000 salad plates (trust us—we looked) The traditional folk dancing costumes found at the Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo clearly inspired the beautiful garments worn by Anna up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse We understand that time is the greatest luxury which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world IPI Partners is purchasing DigiPlex from Washington D.C.-based private equity firm Kitebrook Partners which is led by Byrne Murphy and Bill Conway the transaction is expected to close in Q3 2021 DigiPlex operates eight data centers across the Nordic markets DigiPlex’s portfolio comprises 65+ megawatts of IT Load across 226k sqft (21.0k sqm) of built white space the company has over 4.3 million sqft (400k sqm) of developable land currently available for customer expansion Below is a breakdown of DigiPlex’s eight data centers across the Nordic region: DNAS comprises ~23 megawatts of power capacity, across 55k sqft (5.1k sqm) of white space. The facility is an important carrier-neutral site in Norway which offers access to 25+ carriers and direct connects to Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) DRAS comprises ~10 megawatts of power capacity DFAS comprises 10 megawatts of power capacity This is a build-to-suit facility for EVRY AS one of the largest IT services companies in the Nordics DFAS2 comprises 3 megawatts of power capacity DFAS3 comprises 3 megawatts of power capacity This is also DigiPlex’s newest facility which opened in June 2021 DHAS comprises 6 megawatts of power capacity DigiPlex opened this new campus in October 2020 DS1 comprises 10 megawatts of power capacity This facility offers both wholesale and retail colocation DigiPlex has the ability to build an incremental 6 megawatts of power capacity at a future DS2 facility DC1 comprises 1.6 megawatts of power capacity DigiPlex has a strong presence in the Nordics being the largest data center operator in Norway the company has capacity for expansion to accommodate future requirements of hyperscale and major colocation providers DigiPlex has the goal to expand into complementary markets in the Nordics and Europe IPI Partners has raised more than $5.25bn in total equity capital commitments through its two funds IPI Partners I ($1.5bn) and IPI Partners II ($3.8bn) DigiPlex is IPI Partners’ second data center acquisition in Europe, following the purchase of Milan-based SUPERNAP Italia in February 2021. In addition, the firm has made investments into STACK Infrastructure a joint venture with T5 Data Centers and Hillwood and Dark Fiber and Infrastructure (DF&I) DigiPlex’s financial advisor was RBC Capital Markets DigiPlex’s legal advisors for the sale to IPI Partners were Latham & Watkins and Norway’s Wikborg Rein IPI Partners’ legal advisors for the DigiPlex purchase were Gibson as well as Nordic legal advisors Schjødt and Lundgrens Norway, Denmark, and Sweden have been beneficiaries of investment from hyperscale companies such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) renewable power and natural cooling has made it an attractive destination for hyperscalers and website in this browser for the next time I comment A bottle deposit hub on the outskirts of Oslo has had a stream of high-level international visitors Tens of thousands of brightly coloured plastic drinks bottles tumble from the back of a truck on to a conveyor belt before disappearing slowly inside a warehouse on the outskirts of Oslo As a workman picks up a few Coke bottles that have escaped “It is a system that works,” he says as another truck rumbles past I think lots of countries could learn from it.” Infinitum runs Norway’s deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and cans. Photograph: Elin Høyland/The GuardianMaldum is the chief executive of Infinitum the organisation which runs Norway’s deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and cans Its success is unarguable – 97% of all plastic drinks bottles in Norway are recycled 92% to such a high standard that they are turned back into drinks bottles Maldum says some of the material has been recycled more than 50 times already Less than 1% of plastic bottles end up in the environment Earlier this year, as public awareness of the plastic pollution crisis grew, the environment secretary, Michael Gove, announced that England would be introducing its own deposit return scheme As with many of the announcements to emanate from the environment department under Gove the headline was big but the details small a clue as to what may come next emerged late last year when environment minister Thérèse Coffey visited Maldum at the Infinitum warehouse in Oslo “She was well-briefed and engaged and asked the right questions,” said Maldum The scale of the plastic pollution crisis is well documented Even the world’s most remote oceans and seabeds are contaminated with unknown consequences for wildlife and human health As concern has grown, Maldum has had a steady stream of high-level visitors to his industrial estate – from countries as far afield as India to ; China to Rwanda; Belgium to Wales – to find out what Norway is doing The government places an environmental tax on all producers of plastic bottles If they collectively recycle more than 95% – which they have done every year since 2011 – they do not have to pay the tax For the customer the deal is equally straightforward A deposit of 10p to 25p depending on size is paid on each bottle People can then return it to a machine or over the counter where they bought it A barcode is read and they are handed a coupon or cash The Infinitum recycling plant in Fetsund Photograph: Elin Høyland/The GuardianMaldum says the underlying principle is clear if drinks firms and retailers can get bottles to the shops and sell them they are more than capable of collecting them back again and recycling them “It is a system that puts the emphasis on the producer to pay for and devise a system that works We think we have come up with the most efficient and environmentally friendly system anywhere in the world.” And he says it also encourages a fundamental change of thinking from consumers “We want to get to the point where people realise they are buying the product but just borrowing the packaging.” Producers of plastic bottles which want to be part of the scheme [more than 99% in Norway according to Maldum] have to use approved labels bottle tops and glue to improve and streamline the recycling process All stores which sell bottles are also obliged to collect them Many bigger stores have installed machines that scan crush and pack the bottles ready for collection Smaller ones often collect bottles and cans mannually over the counter Every store gets a small fee per bottle or can and more importantly retailers say it increases footfall At a small supermarket a few miles from the Infinitum plant a new deposit return scheme has been installed that can take bags full of bottles and cans at the same time On a quiet Monday afternoon there is a steady stream of customers coming to return bottles before doing their shopping a 35-year-old carpenter is with his wife and young daughter He is surprised to learn the UK does not have a similar system Behind him in the queue Eivind and Turgut have been collecting bottles at work and have three bulging bin liners full “We are collecting them to pay for a sort of end-of-year Christmas party for everyone at work,” says Eivind as the machine starts to tot up the deposits automatically Looking on is the store manager Ole Petter It is a service that attracts people to come here and that means we get more customers and more sales.” But even with the success of Norway’s scheme there are still challenges Recycled material only provides 10% of the plastic used in bottles in the country the rest – because oil is cheap – comes from newly manufactured “virgin” material Maldum says the system produces enough high-grade material to meet 80% of demand – much of which is currently exported That is why he and his colleagues are pushing the government to introduce a “materials tax” alongside the existing environment tax it would be reduced as manufacturers increased the amount of recycled plastic they use “It is a positive incentive and something manufacturers support We just need to persuade ministers,” he said In England, ministers’ plans are still at an early stage. Scotland, which is also introducing a deposit return scheme is slightly further ahead But there are no agreed figures for the number of plastic bottles successfully recycled in the UK Some analysts believe it could be as low as 20% although others suggest the figure could be nearer 45% The consultation announced by Gove is due to open before the end of the year Campaigners are hoping for the details of the scheme to be published early in 2019 There has been some suggestion from the drinks industry that the English scheme should focus only on smaller bottles and cans that are used “on the go” rather than including all plastic drinks bottles The Infinitum warehouse runs 24 hours a day Photograph: Elin Høyland/The GuardianSamantha Harding from the Campaign to Protect Rural England says that would be a serious error “Only those with a vested interest in the outcome would suggest that England’s deposit system should be designed to exclude a large amount of the plastic glass and aluminium it’s supposed to collect,” she said industry is trying to keep the financial burden of dealing with their packaging on us as taxpayers.” is on a gangway looking down on the Willy Wonka-esq tower of conveyor belts sorting and crushing machines that he and a colleague designed five days a week transforming Norway’s discarded bottles into bales of clean colour-coded plastic that is ready for recycling What would his advice be for the UK as it designs its own deposit return scheme “Include all plastic bottles and aluminium cans to start – it won’t work well if you don’t Get that right and once it is up and running maybe look at glass or Tetra Pak.” He pauses for a moment before adding with a smile “And please do it quickly because all the plastic bottles washing up on Norwegian beaches are not coming from us – they are coming from you and the rest of Europe!” The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden Please log in to leave a comment Akershus police called for more witnesses on Monday night as further details emerged about an armed robbery and hostage situation at a Trøgstad Sparebank branch in Fetsund last week Police believed a silver minivan was connected to Thursday’s heist and have released surveillance video of the offender who was still at large on Tuesday morning Police want more public help identifying the armed robber after he held up the bank early Thursday afternoon Romerike police lawyer Jon Letnes said a man with a “pistol-like” object threatened two employees and the bank manager said customers were also present but we do not want to release the amount,” Letnes said Police were initially uncertain how many people were involved, but by Friday were confident there was just one offender. The man was described as 165-175 centimetres tall between the ages of 30 and 50, of Nordic appearance with a goatee beard, who spoke Østlandet dialect Norwegian. Police released surveillance video of the robbery (external link in Norwegian) in a bid for more public assistance “It’s good quality on the video,” said Letnes “By publishing it we hope to get specific tips on who the perpetrator is.” Police were investigating several leads The armed man then attempted to break into several cars outside the bank before taking a person hostage at gunpoint from a nearby gym “The person at the fitness centre was forced to take the armed man in his car “They drove across the Fetsund bridge to Kringen before they stopped.” The perpetrator then fled the scene according to local newspaper Romerikes Blad On Monday night police appealed for more information on a silver van which was found between national highway 22 and the Kringen road near where the perpetrator was last spotted “We do not know exactly when the car arrived and when it disappeared,” Fet and Rælingen sheriff Trond Arve Øren told NRK “That is why we want to make contact with witnesses or the owner of the vehicle.” “The two staff who were working during the robbery are back on the job today They are obviously still affected by what happened but customers who have visited have shown great understanding for what the employees have been through.” newsinenglish.no/Emily Woodgate If you like what we are doing, please consider a donation. It is easy using PayPal, or our Norway bank account. READ MORE NewsInEnglish.no is a free and independent Oslo-based website offering news from Norway It’s run on a voluntary basis by veteran journalists keen to share insight into Norwegian politics