Rosendin

Location: Sterling/VA

Client: QTS

General Contractor: HITT Contracting

Award-Winning Craftwork

Rosendin congratulates the QTS Lockridge ASH2 DC1 team members on their 2023 WBC Craftsmanship Award for power distribution, generation, and switchgear. This award acknowledges the skill and professionalism of:

• Austin Jones
• Troy Mendoza
• Ryan Pearman
• Joshua Richter
• Matt Stoffa
• Jose Torres

Data center construction is often fast-paced and demanding. Aggressive schedules, supply chain challenges, and site logistics can combine to create very challenging project environments. Rosendin is no stranger to these challenges, with experience on several data center projects with particularly aggressive schedules.

QTS Lockridge is a 308,630 SF data center in the heart of Data Center Alley in Loudoun County, Virginia. The project faced an unprecedented schedule from the moment it was awarded in early March 2022, with the construction and commissioning of 42 MW to the RPP (remote power panel) level targeted by December 15, 2022. RPP provides a means of direct extension from Power Distribution Units (PDUs) or other power sources to server racks.

To meet this demanding schedule, the project team ran day and night shift crews to offset delays in delivering Owner-Furnished Contractor-Installed (OFCI) equipment. Daily debriefings for overlapping shifts were essential for maintaining communications and staying ahead of staffing challenges.

The QTS Lockridge project includes a 264,104 SF data hall with a 44,256 SF administration/operations area. It consists of twenty-eight 3000A critical line ups, four 3000A reserve line-ups, and a 2500A House Power line-up. Rosendin provided a 1200A temporary service for the site that provides an 800A feed for the building. Supply chain issues for gear, lighting, and specialty cable were mitigated by placing orders through early release agreements with QTS and HITT to get into the production schedule for all long-lead items.

One of the QTS Lockridge team’s most significant challenges was supply chain issues for OFCI equipment. Specifically, there was a three-month delay in switchboards and distribution panels and a four-month delay in Automatic Transfer Switches (ATS). Rosendin’s team developed an innovative solution: The original design for the project involved all overhead conduit and wire for connection between switchboards and ATS. If the team waited to install overhead conduit when the equipment arrived, they would be unable to meet the schedule.

Rosendin’s team proposed installing a wireway to feed from switchboards and ATS to the bottom feed allowing cabling to be placed and terminated before the ATS arrived. Not only did this alleviate the challenge, but it also resulted in a clean installation and eliminated the conflicts above the switchgear. The Owner accepted this approach, resulting in a clean, professional installation that is now the basis of design for all future QTS installations.

Rosendin Senior Project Manager, Michael Park, is incredibly proud of this project,

“In my opinion example of how Rosendin’s Core Values show out. We Cared, We Innovated, and We Excelled in developing this solution.”

“Not only did it provide some safety improvements by reducing the overhead work, but also reduced strains. We developed a solution that allowed our teams to keep working and gave our customer a cleaner, more professional-looking installation. The fact that it’s now the standard for future QTS installations adds to the satisfaction.”

The level of skill and professional installation was recently acknowledged by the Washington Building Congress with a 2023 WBC Craftsmanship Award. “The entire team at Rosendin works incredibly hard to ensure that our projects are completed with the highest level of quality and craftsmanship. This award validates our efforts to pay attention to details and put our best foot forward daily,” said Matt Orosz, Vice President. \We are honored to be recognized among the best construction companies in the nation committed to excellent service and craftsmanship.”

Site logistics presented an additional challenge. While this building was being constructed, another 36MW building was being built directly adjacent. The concurrent construction presented issues for deliveries and personnel movement, with deliveries for both buildings happening simultaneously around the clock. Rosendin used off-site storage and scheduled deliveries in open windows to help alleviate congestion and ensure the flow of materials to our personnel. At times, there were as many as 2,000 personnel on-site, with Rosendin’s crew peaking at 310 employees totaling more than 226,000 labor hours throughout this project. 

COMMUNITY BENEFITS OF VA DATA CENTERS

• For every job inside a Virginia data center, there are 4.1 additional jobs that are supported in the rest of the Virginia economy.
• Every $1.00 generated by data centers and spent in Loudoun County provided $13.20 in tax revenue.
• The data center industry is responsible for $73M worth of education funding for Loudoun County.
• Data Centers are directly and indirectly responsible for generating $174M in state revenue and $1 Billion in local tax revenue in Virginia.
• According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual private sector wage in the data center industry saw a 120% increase in the last 20 years (from $61,1117 to $134,308).