Networking and colocation provider green.ch has opened new headquarters in Lupfig, on the site that hosts the largest commercial data center campus in Switzerland.

Christened as the InnovationTower, the facility will host marketing and sales operations, and provide data center customers with emergency workplaces in the event of an outage or natural disaster.

The new building adjoins two existing data halls, and the company is planning to build a third in the near future.

InnovationTower on the outskirts of Zurich
InnovationTower (right) on the outskirts of Zurich – green.ch Group

Tower of power

Green.ch Group was established more than 20 years ago as wide spectrum ICT service provider. Today, it mostly focuses on data center services through its subsidiary Green Datacenters AG.

In 2014, the company opened ‘Zurich-West’ as the largest commercial data center in Switzerland, measuring in at over 7000 square meters across two data halls.

This week, green.ch opened a six story building on the same campus to sever as its new corporate home. The site will also offer offices and emergency workstations that can be powered by generators in a nearby data center.

Green.ch says that 95 percent of available floor space had already been leased out by the time the building was completed.

“Since 2008, I’ve been pursuing the vision of storing data and creating jobs in the region. We’ve had to show a great deal of commitment and use extensive powers of persuasion to accomplish this aim. I’m therefore really happy that we’ve now achieved this milestone,” said Franz Grüter, national councilor and president of the board of directors at green.ch Group.

Green.ch is planning to add a third data center building to Zurich-West, but the timeline of the project will depend on demand. “As soon as we receive major data center space requests we can get started,” Grüter said.

The cost of the entire campus, taking into account future expansion, is estimated at 170 million Swiss francs ($174.4m).

Earlier this year, green.ch acquired a 3,200 square meter data center in Zurich from Zürich Versicherungs-Gesellschaft AG for an undisclosed sum.