GSH Group has completed black building tests at three critical London office and data centre locations for Royal Bank of Scotland as part of the company’s business continuity and risk avoidance strategy.  The testing process was undertaken during a two-month period, as part of an ongoing maintenance programme and was designed to check essential mechanical and electrical systems and building infrastructure whilst minimising operational downtime.

A team of 20 GSH engineers, supported by 10-15 engineers from third-party partners, worked closely with Royal Bank of Scotland to undertake the testing over three weekends.  GSH managed the entire project to assess and maintain key systems at the three locations in the Bishopsgate area of the City.  This included all high-voltage switchgear and transformers, generators, uninterruptible power supplies and building management systems.

Richard Smith, Director of Property Operations at Royal Bank of Scotland commented: “This testing process forms an essential aspect of maintaining resilience across our critical building portfolio.  It is aimed at mitigating risk and crucial to the ongoing success of the business.  Despite the complex nature of the infrastructure and work involved, GSH Group has superbly handled the process and completed the planned activity within the specified time period and with no subsequent business interruption.”

Stuart Davies, Director UK & Ireland for GSH Group, said “The black building tests demonstrate our ability to undertake large critical environment projects where risk aversion and diligence is paramount to achieving first class reliability of key equipment, systems and processes.  The Bishopsgate buildings operate on a 24/7 basis, so it was necessary to work closely with Royal Bank of Scotland to avoid any unnecessary disruption.”