Pre-Conference Workshop Day

Monday, December 2, 2024

12:00 pm Lunch & Networking

Track 1: Construction Planning & Management

Owners & Operators

1:00 pm Streamlining Engagement with Municipalities to Ensure Compliance & Optimal Site Selection

  • Jake Poltz Director of Construction Development, Novva Data Centers

Synopsis

  • Identifying emerging states with enough power, water and fiber availability for new developments
  • Understanding specific permitting requirements of local jurisdictions
  • Exploring tax incentives for site selection data center infrastructure

2:00 pm Facilitated Audience Breakout: Improving Public Perception of Data Center Infrastructure to Reduce Disruptions to Construction

  • Jason Romero Executive Vice President of Growth, QTS Data Centers

Synopsis

  • Educating communities on a data center’s contributions to local tax bases
  • Communicating the benefits that data centers enable for improved public infrastructure
  • Working with community leaders in a constructive manner
  • Exploring aesthetic exterior designs to integrate better into the fabric of the community and increase public buy in

3:00 pm Afternoon Refreshments

3:30 pm Analyzing the Role of the Owner in Reducing Lead Times & Ensuring Workforce Quality

  • Greg Martin Vice President of Design & Construction, Iron Mountain Information Management

Synopsis

  • Redefining contracting to improve alignment on the endproduct, while creating a multi-risk and reward system with project partners
  • Evaluating how to establish a common goal to increase the probability of reduced costs and schedules
  • Investing in construction technology to drive early collaboration with GCs and trades from day one

4:30 pm Developing a Robust Strategy for the Wide-Scale Implementation of Prefabrication to Expedite Data Center Development

Synopsis

  • Standardizing modular construction at scale to improve flexibility and speed to market
  • Exploring prefabrication beyond MEP scopes, including underground works and foundations
  • Setting up successful projects to streamline permitting, procurement and prefab

5:30 pm End of Pre-Conference Day

Track 1: Optimizing Project Collaboration

Operations Teams

1:00 pm Workshop A: Case Study: Assessing the Data Center Project Lifecyle to Identify Opportunities for Cross-Stakeholder Workflow Optimization

  • Kyle Lyman Prefabrication Development Professional, Dynalectric Oregon

Synopsis

  • Outlining the step-by-step workflow of a data center project, including roles and responsibilities at every stage
  • Exploring the challenges encountered during the project lifecycle and the innovative solutions implemented to overcome them, including technical complexities, budget constraints, and timeline pressures
  • Divulging valuable lessons learned from the project experience, including best practices, pitfalls to avoid, and strategies for optimizing outcomes to prevent reinventing the wheel on future projects

3:00 pm Afternoon Refreshments

3:30 pm Workshop B: Bridging the Gap Between Prefab, Design & Field Teams to Streamline the Installation of Equipment

Synopsis

  • Mapping out the roles and responsibilities on a prefab project
  • Determining the line of demarcation: what level of construction should be built onsite to ensure quality expectations are met?
  • Equipping field teams with the necessary skills to correctly install modular units according to design specifications
  • Conducting comprehensive onsite testing to ensure the facility operates correctly after assembly

5:30 pm End of Pre-Conference Day