Ondra-Huyett has worked with Data Based Systems international since 1999. Over that 10+ year span, OHA completed a number of data center projects at their Bethlehem and Valley Forge sites. So when DBSi negotiated a lease of a 200,000 square foot facility in Breinigsville, they called Ondra-Huyett to renovate and build their new data center. The committed completion date for this project was April 29, 2011.

The building was an old AT&T Optoelectronics facility and an ideal location for the new build. The project included extensive demolition in order to make room for the new data center rooms, electrical rooms and the chilled water plant. After two months of demo, beginning in November of 2010, construction of the new work was able to commence in early January, 2011.

The project scope included the construction of three separate data center rooms’ totaling 30,000 square feet of raised floor area. The project also included the addition of a new 1600 ton chilled water plant with the first 400 ton chiller installed day one. All of the piping installed in the plant was designed such that additional chillers, cooling towers and pumps could be added at a later date without disruption of cooling to the data centers.

The entire sprinkler system was converted to a pre-action system in the data centers and electrical infrastructure rooms. The electrical scope included new substation switchgear, UPS systems, battery rooms, transformers, distribution panels, busway and lighting.

The data center project was substantially completed on time with over 100 craft workers on site daily, 68 of which were electricians.