Following up on the prototype design project, NTT engaged HED to provide full-service architecture and MEP services to design a bold yet competitive facility in Itasca, IL. The new building measures 245,000 SF.

As the existing parcel had size constraints, the team developed an updated version of the prototypical design that produced a more efficient equipment yard layout, reducing the size of the modular UPS rooms and connecting them to the building to accommodate two separate buildings with 36 MW of planned IT in each. The prototype design was completed in ten weeks and is now being used in Phoenix and Chicago as proof of concept. The HED team developed the design documents for the initial core and shell, along with the initial 6 MW of IT power. This allowed for future development of the remaining data center and a second building as tenant demand requires and reduces the initial capital investment for NTT.

The project lies within a prominent location in a corporate office park where this project would be the first data center, with architectural expectations higher than in other locales. The design team utilized contrasting textures, colors, and patterning to add visual interest to the facades where it mattered most and identified several design elements that could be transferrable to other buildings and locations to reinforce a sense of brand for NTT. These include the NTT blue frame around the main entrance and blue-tinted glass curtainwall, blue stripes between metal cladding colors on the stair towers, and patterning on concrete.

The exterior and interior design branding guidelines have become the reference standards for all of NTT Global Data Centers Americas’ new projects including a new campus in Mesa, AZ for seven new buildings (also designed by HED) as well as buildings in Santa Clara, CA and Hillsboro, OR.