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Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF) has announced its Data Center Consulting Group has been awarded exclusive leasing agency for Digital Chicago - A Digital Realty Datacampus. Located in the Chicago suburb of Franklin Park, Illinois, this versatile project currently consists of more than 575,000 square feet of roofed space and 32.6 megawatts of available power. The master plan, which calls for 725,000 square feet of space and 80 megawatts of power, is capable of supporting a build-to-suit data center campus with flexible solutions.
NGKF’s Todd Bateman and the Data Center Consulting Group’s agency team will exclusively represent the property’s owner/redeveloper, Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), a leading global provider of data center solutions.
Digital Chicago sits on a 23-acre parcel of land, located 15 minutes from O’Hare International Airport and 20 minutes from Downtown Chicago, where it is close to multiple fiber providers and utility substations. The campus is planned for multi-tenant occupancy using Digital Realty’s industry leading design for the company’s Turn-Key FlexSM data center solution. In addition, there are large parcels for build-to-suit data center opportunities.
“Digital Realty is a world-class developer in this category, specializing in delivering customer driven data center solutions by providing secure, reliable and cost effective facilities that meet each customer’s unique needs,” says Bryan Loewen, head of NGKF’s Data Center Consulting practice. “When work on the three-building central campus is completed, Digital Chicago will be able to provide up to 80 megawatts of power. Initially, 60,000 feet of data center raised floor with 6.7 megawatts of critical power is being delivered this year, making this one of the largest data center campuses in the world.”
The first phase of construction includes four Turn-Key Flex data centers, the first two of which will be online by the end of the first quarter of 2013.
“Digital Realty is deploying some of the most cutting edge data center technology in Franklin Park including a 2,400-ton central chilled water plant and major electrical components that are modular and pre-commissioned by the manufacturer,” explains Mr. Bateman. “Nothing of this size and scale has been speculatively deployed in the Midwest. Digital Realty has an esteemed history of building and maintaining data centers globally to meet the ever increasing technology demands of today’s business climate. Digital Chicago will not only service companies in the greater Chicago area, but we expect this campus to attract companies from all over the United States to this location.”
“My team is the only group in the country that’s solely dedicated to agency work in mission-critical space such as this,” Mr. Bateman continues. “This is the largest agency assignment that has recently been awarded in the United States. It is by far the largest development of its kind in Chicago. We are thrilled to be able to partner with a world class owner like Digital Realty.”
The Newmark Grubb Knight Frank Data Center Consulting team comprises a multitude of individuals throughout the world including consultants, project managers, and industry experts with the ability to assist in evaluating requirements, criteria, and decision modeling. In less than a year, the agency team has been engaged to lease over two million square feet of mission-critical space-representing nearly 200 megawatts of electrical power. For more information, visitwww.DataCenterConsulting.com.
About Newmark Grubb Knight Frank
Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF) is one of the world’s leading commercial real estate advisory firms. Together with its affiliates and London-based partner Knight Frank, NGKF employs more than 11,000 professionals, operating from more than 340 offices in established and emerging property markets on five continents.
With roots dating back to 1929, NGKF’s strong foundation makes it one of the most trusted names in commercial real estate. Its integrated services platform includes leasing advisory, global corporate services, investment sales and capital markets, consulting, program and project management, property and facilities management, and valuation services. A major force in the real estate marketplace, NGKF serves the local and global property requirements of tenants, landlords, investors and developers worldwide. For further information, visit www.ngkf.com.
NGKF is a part of BGC Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: BGCP), a leading global brokerage company primarily servicing the wholesale financial and real estate markets. For further information, visit www.bgcpartners.com.