Administration buildings, warehouses, gatehouses and operations buildings get less attention than the data halls, but the campus needs them to function. They are often procured as separate packages, built alongside other contractors, and needed on dates set by the rest of the campus.
Use the checklist below to define support-building packages before pricing. Requirements vary by owner and campus; confirm them with the design team and record them in the procurement and contract documents.
01List every support building and its purpose
Data center campuses include buildings beyond the data halls. Each has its own users, requirements and schedule.
- Administration and office buildings
- Warehouse, receiving and storage buildings
- Security gatehouses and visitor facilities
- Control rooms and operations buildings
- Other campus buildings such as maintenance shops or utility support buildings
02Tie each building to the campus schedule
Support buildings are often needed before the data halls are complete. A gatehouse, warehouse or operations building that finishes late can hold up the rest of the campus.
- The date each building is needed, and what depends on it
- Temporary facilities needed until permanent buildings are ready
- Whether buildings will be occupied while other campus work continues
03Define civil and utility scope
Support buildings share the campus site and utilities with everything else. Define what each building package includes.
- Grading, paving, drainage and site work included with each building
- Points of connection for power, water, fire water, sewer and telecommunications
- Campus utility work by others and its timing
- Site access, haul routes and laydown shared with other contractors
04Assign owner-direct and specialist scopes
Owners often contract security, IT and operational systems directly. Assign the interfaces before pricing.
- Security systems, access control and cameras: who designs, furnishes and installs
- IT, network and communications systems and pathways
- Furniture, fixtures and equipment
- Specialist systems for control or operations buildings
05Building requirements
Support buildings can look ordinary but carry campus-specific requirements.
- Owner design standards that apply across the campus
- Security requirements for building envelopes, doors and glazing
- Backup power or critical systems required in any support building
- Permits and inspections for each building, and who obtains them
- Each building’s intended use and design criteria, including warehouse commodities, storage heights, racking and equipment loads, and any maintenance activities or hazardous materials, with the responsible designers establishing the resulting structural, fire-protection and building-system requirements
06Coordinate with the rest of the campus
Several contractors usually work on the campus at once.
- Site logistics, access control and badging for construction staff
- Shared site rules, safety requirements and coordination meetings
- Interfaces with the data hall, substation and utility contractors
07Handover
Each building may hand over separately to different owner teams.
- Inspections, approvals and occupancy requirements for each building
- Who coordinates and performs startup, testing and commissioning of contracted building systems and owner-direct systems, with prerequisites, required records, deficiency responsibilities and acceptance authority defined
- Record documents, warranties and training for each building
- Which owner team accepts each building
- Construction-package handover distinguished from authorized occupancy and operational readiness, with the approvals and outstanding work tied to each milestone
For the data hall shell itself, see data center shell construction: scope, exclusions and handover. For operations and control buildings, see the control room construction checklist.