Insights

4 Takeaways for Data Center Owners from Emerging Trends 2027

Data centers lost the top spot in ULI and PwC's Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2027, and the report points to execution, not demand. What the survey says about execution risk, power, local opposition and vacancy, and what owners can do about each.

UPS Batteries and Human Error: Two Outage Causes You Can Manage

Uptime Institute's 2026 outage analysis keeps pointing at power and at procedures not followed. What the data supports, what battery and procedure programs cost, and where they are not worth it.

Nine Floors in Chicago High-Rises: Field Notes on Delivering Critical Space Vertically

Delivering critical space inside a live, multi-tenant tower is a different problem from building on a campus. Field notes from nine single-floor deployments in Chicago, and what 2025 and 2026 reporting says about doing it well.

Reading a Colocation Proposal: How to Compare Providers on the Terms That Matter

Colocation proposals are written to show each provider at its best. Here is how to put power, density, SLA, expansion, exit and audit terms on one basis before price decides the outcome.

Designed Well, Built Well, and Still Failing on Day One: Why Commissioning Matters

Every component can pass its own test and the facility can still fail when the systems run together. What each commissioning level catches, who should lead it, and what happens when the schedule squeezes it.

Up to Half of 2026's Data Centers Could Slip. 7 Calls Your Owner's Rep Should Be Making Now

Equipment waits, power dates and local opposition are pushing data center schedules out. Seven calls an owner's representative should be making now to keep a project on its date.

The Best Data Center Site May Already Be Standing

Power is the new scarcity, demand is moving closer to people, and speed to market favors a head start. Why the right data center site may already be sitting in your portfolio.

Reading a Building as a Data Center

A real estate team sees square footage and price. A data center team has to see floor loads, clear heights, power paths, and fiber routes. Five questions every candidate building has to answer.

Performing Like Purpose-Built

The goal of every adaptive reuse project is a facility that runs like it was designed as a data center from day one. The playbook behind conversions that perform best.