Update 1/29/18: Learn how our partner Granger Construction used effective teamwork to save Wayne State millions of dollars in the design and construction of the new data center: http://www.grangerconstruction.com/wayne-state-university-data-center/

Construction has begun on the new Wayne State University data center. The Board of Governors approved the final design and budget at the Oct. 6 meeting and construction began Oct. 9. The new building at the corner of Cass Avenue and Antoinette Street will be attached to the current Computing Services Center and will house mechanical equipment, state-of-the-art security, fire protection, a power back-up system and network infrastructure. In addition, a new electrical substation will be built directly behind the new data center, supporting all of Wayne State's computing facilities. This substation will house redundant electrical feeders from Detroit Edison to provide truly reliable power to our facilities for the first time.

The university has relied on the current facility since 1960 and the building itself dates back to 1915. Adaptations have been made to accommodate the evolving requirements of modern computing equipment, but a completely new building will allow the university to truly be ready for the future. 

“The new data center is an investment by the university to elevate our existing infrastructure to current best practice standards of an energy-efficient, high-performance and secure computing environment,” said Daren Hubbard, chief information officer and associate vice president, C&IT. “Our goal with this new facility is to ensure that Wayne State is able to support the teaching, learning and research computing needs of today and tomorrow. Our current facility has served the campus well and we look forward to the new facility doing the same.”

The new Wayne State data center is part of a flurry of construction in Detroit's New Center neighborhood. The new building is designed to complement existing structures in the area and landscaping plans will create a green space along Cass Avenue for all of Wayne State's neighbors to enjoy. See below for an early architectural rendering of the building and keep an eye out at the corner of Cass and Antoinette for the final product in 2019.