Data center construction is all the rage right now, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Powered by the rise of cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), big data and even the Internet of Things, our national appetite for data processing capability is voracious and bottomless, with some sources projecting a 165% increase in data center power demand by 2030.

While data centers only a component of Balfour Beatty’s 20-year, $5.1 billion history of successful mission critical construction, our teams are uniquely suited to the needs of data center clients. As a 2024 BD+C nationally ranked data center builder, we drive project success with deep and reliable trade partner and procurement networks, exacting quality control, tech-enabled schedule efficiency solutions and industry-leading security processes – all of which create client confidence that their data centers will be up and running on time, on budget fully secure and with robust redundancy.

Efficient Schedules and Exact Equipment

Data center construction is in its own realm of mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) equipment complexity, utilizing systems (and depths of systems) unseen by nearly any other sector of commercial construction. Powering, cooling, reinforcing and networking entire floors of server racks requires just the right equipment, just the right project sequencing and an incredibly proactive approach to procurement.

“Balfour Beatty teams take pride in our local contributions, while data center clients can enjoy the advantages of our strong national presence,” says Mid-Atlantic Senior Vice President of Operations Art Malacarne. “Our roster of industry-leading project leaders is deep, our trade partner networks are strong, our procurement pipeline is proactive and reliable. Clients get the efficiency and refined process of a large firm with the personal attention of a local builder.”

Time is always of the essence on data center projects. Balfour Beatty’s approach to proactive procurement, powered by collaborative early involvement and proven trust with repeat clients, helps ensure that no project schedule is hampered by an unforeseen equipment shortage, being undercut by a competitor project or quality control issue that requires equipment replacement.

Balfour Beatty has conducted back-to-back repeat projects for multiple Tier IV, hyperscaler data center operators, typically confidential clients in the web and financial services sectors. When specialized equipment like enclosed backup generators can have procurement lead times of one year or more, our teams lean heavily on open communication and client trust to procure items that may be several projects away in our clients’ development plans. When they’re ready to go, so are we.

“Balfour Beatty has a known and respected name in the construction industry, and while we can often reliably procure equipment as-needed and at competitive pricing, you can’t control what competitors’ projects are doing, market conditions or the effects of national policy,” Art adds. “We instead serve our clients and stakeholders best by maintaining constant readiness and executing the early collaboration that makes our readiness possible.”

When Balfour Beatty’s preconstruction and procurement teams are brought on-board as early as possible, it can make the difference between a project that meets endless delays or one that can serve tenants and clients on or even ahead of schedule.

On one confidential co-location data center project, our team collaborated closely with the client and monitored procurement channels from the earliest stages of design and constructability discussions. Together, we carefully deliberated the “want to have” versus the “need to have” items, in some cases procuring what was available for the sake of earlier functionality and maximum server uptime. The project will ultimately reach completion months ahead of schedule, representing significant profitability gain as the client seeks active tenants.

Coordination Through Innovation

As a nationally recognized contractor across most market sectors, Balfour Beatty also deploys world-class Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) technology teams that continually identify, test and implement exciting new tools. The MEP complexity and accelerated schedules of data center projects only compounds the real value of Building Information Modeling (BIM) coordination provided by our VDC teams.

Any given slice of conduit space in an operational data center is many times more complex than an equivalently sized commercial building. By creating a digital copy of a data center before construction activities begin, before designs are even finalized, clients can easily visualize and manipulate the space, explore design changes and understand their real-world cost and schedule implications.

“BIM coordination and 3D modeling further reinforce our collaborative and proactive approach,” says Jason Lane, project executive and data center expert for Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty Company. “Every early decision we can empower, from confident phasing to procurable materials to efficient design and MEP routing, leads to risk reduction and more successful outcomes for our data center clients.”

BIM coordination and 3D modeling also greatly benefits our trade partners. Those trade partners are already highly specialized in and adept at data center projects, but the depth and richness of project data our technology teams can provide leads to much greater confidence when executing the out-of-sequence and accelerated work that so often typifies this fast-moving industry.

Our VDC teams can also leverage the full advantages of advanced project progress monitoring using 360-degree capture tools like OpenSpace, which can both document the progress of in-wall and overhead MEP systems for future reference and provide client stakeholders with an easy and accessible way to conduct virtual jobsite walks.

On another of Balfour Beatty’s confidential, greenfield data center projects, the owner’s decision-makers were located several states away. Still, data center construction proceeds at a breakneck pace, and decisions must be made quickly to reach critical milestones and project completion. By creating a “digital twin” of the project from frequent 360-degree camera captures, those stakeholders could virtually walk the jobsite, see the impacted areas and make quick and confident decisions.

While our VDC teams repeatedly redefine “possible” with construction technology, security doesn’t take a backseat. All tested and implemented tools go through rigorous security reviews with our Information Technology team and, if necessary, legal experts.

Superior Security

Our data center clients also value Balfour Beatty’s diligent approach to information security, both in terms of often working within active data centers and the details of individually confidential projects or client accounts. Across dozens of accounts with data center service to world-class financial, web services and federal government clients, our record of secure and confidential operations is impeccable.

Our security expertise also extends to properly phasing construction, such that security considerations don’t unnecessarily delay construction phases to which it doesn’t apply. Ground-up, greenfield data center construction, for example, often involves a lower-security core and shell phase followed by a much more stringent tenant improvement phase or phases. Our experience also includes many examples of Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) work, both as separate enterprise facilities, within existing and operational co-location or hyperscaler data centers and more.

“Our teams can handle any level of project security, from wholly confidential client accounts to individual SCIFs to SCIFs within data centers that remain fully functional and secure while we work,” Jason says. “Information security is often one of our clients’ primary concerns, along with schedule and budget efficiency, so it also becomes one of our critical success factors.”

Our VDC teams can also play an important role in project security, using their expertise across multiple tools and technologies to create custom strategies that maximize both security and the benefits those tools can offer.

For one confidential co-location data center, our team was tasked with completing roughly 85% of a data center floor. In the other 15% the project owner was already operating several server racks with multiple clients. The owner, our project staff and our VDC team all saw the significant value of laser scanning the space for 3D modeling, design coordination and BIM clash detection, but scanning at the highest data fidelity could potentially compromise the identities of the owner’s existing tenants.

Instead of throwing in the towel, our team tweaked our laser scanning tools to capture a less-dense 3D point cloud of data. While this strategy produced a slightly less detailed 3D model, the model was still endlessly useful in conducting constructability reviews, BIM coordination and all of the resulting project decisions. More importantly, the existing server tenants’ names, server configurations and other sensitive data remained secure.

Capital Commissioning

Just as our teams work collaboratively to identify and eliminate design, schedule and material inefficiencies before they can result in costly rework, we also work closely with our clients to provide custom commissioning services for a reliable transition to complete data center uptime.

Commissioning can make or break a data center projects, and with so many compounding layers of intricate MEP, data and other infrastructural systems in even a small colocation data center, customizing commissioning to the client’s needs and following that program relentlessly is a critical step to success.

While the process itself is performed by commissioning agents and professional engineers, the design coordination and project documentation our teams execute along the way can make agents’ jobs as easy as possible and reinforce client confidence in the results.

“Commissioning agents are essentially checking our work, but our collaborative approach to data center construction means that we have checked our work already, documented our progress and promoted complete accountability at every turn,” adds Jason.

Uncompromising Commitment

Data centers already are and will continue to be the vital information hubs of ourdigital age, relied on by companies large and small for powerful, efficient and reliable server space. Data center owners and developers need a true construction partner like Balfour Beatty, dedicated to the same degree of reliability and efficiency and backed by a proven record of success.

As collaborative construction allies, we cut no corners, waste no time and overlook no details to deliver data centers and mission critical infrastructure tailored to each client’s needs and designed for maximum performance.