Houston 2: Cooling System Construction is Underway

Near record rainfall in the Houston area hasn’t slowed down our construction of the Houston 2 data center. We have now completed the western tilt walls, which means the front and back of the colocation pods are now finished. Also, the structural steel is nearing completion for 40,000 SF of of dedicated office space for customers.

Construction of one of the key features of the Houston 2 data center cooling system is underway. We have completed the main trench that will house the chilled water pipes that will feed the Computer Room Air Handler (CRAH) units. Illustrating one of the key benefits of a purpose built data center, we are able to deliver chilled water through a below slab trench. A below slab trench provides two key benefits: (1) in the event of a leak in the chilled water system, the trench will ensure no water enters the data hall; and (2) the chilled water piping will not interfere with the efficient flow of chilled air to our customer’s cabinets and high performance servers located on the raised floor.

Time-lapse video

Western wall

Western tilt wall is complete!

Office frame

Structural steel frame for 40K SF of dedicated office space for customers.

Chilled water trench

Setting the stage for the trench that will hold chilled water pipes. These pipes will feed the Computer Room Air Handler (CRAH) units.

Finished floor height

Dirt is being added to raise the internal elevation for the entire pod enclosure by more than 4 feet. Illustrating where the finished floor height will be.

Roofing material

Materials are in order for strengthening and sealing the roof over the pods.

Next on the long list of projects will be sealing the roof, finishing slab work in the pods, and then closing off the east side of the pods. Be sure to check back for our next update in a couple of weeks!