DLR Data Center
Digital Realty
In late 2012, SSOE Group merged with Evergreen EDC bringing significant synergies to both firms’ data center capabilities.
Digital Realty, a worldwide leader in data center solutions, selected SSOE to provide architectural and engineering services for its customer’s new 52,000 SF facility in Hillsboro, Oregon. The 4.5 MW data center was designed using modular and scalable design principles and includes four identical and independent server equipment room PODs, each approximately 4,600 SF and containing 120 cabinets. Two additional PODs have been included on the site master plan and can be added in the future. The modules are organized along a central service corridor, which provides access to the server, electrical, and battery rooms. The rooftop air handlers utilize air side economizers to provide “free cooling” to the data center for up to 10 months a year. Cool air is supplied to an overhead plenum that distributes the air to the server cabinet cold aisles. The cold aisles are architecturally isolated from the rest of the room (hot aisles) using modular wall components, which assures efficient air flow and eliminates the mixing of hot and cold, thus reducing overall energy costs.
The most significant challenge on this project proved to be fitting the building program requirements within a small, sloping site. By implementing a rapid prototyping design process, SSOE was able to quickly produce a wide range of building configurations and site master plans, allowing the owner the opportunity to provide timely input. The use of this design process was instrumental in keeping the project on schedule and ensuring the owner’s needs and expectations were met. In the final design, SSOE maximized the building footprint by wrapping the support spaces around the server room modules.
The result is a dual-corridor system, one for service and the other for client access, which meets the varying levels of security protocol required by the owner. The building was also orientated and formed to take full advantage of the overall depth of the site, while still maintaining a separate and secure entry for both on-site parking and service yard access. SSOE raised the finished floor elevation of the building in order to balance the cut and fill requirement on the site, and to eliminate off-site soil disposal.
SSOE’s design process, relationship, and familiarity with the local code jurisdiction were instrumental in meeting the aggressive project schedule. We worked cooperatively with Digital Realty to design a cost effective, energy efficient data center that met their current demands, while also maintaining flexibility to adapt to future growth.
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SSOE is actively piloting AI Chat large language models (LLMs) or copilots that use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to streamline both design and development tasks, transforming how our teams interact with software and each other.
By integrating chat LLM engines into platforms like Revit, we’re enabling users to prompt complex actions using simple, conversational commands. In Revit, this means automating tasks such as modeling elements, cleaning up parameter data, managing annotations and dimensions, and organizing sheets—without writing scripts. These automations and quality prompts can be shared across project teams, accelerating workflows and reducing manual effort.
Similarly, our internal Software Development Community is leveraging GitHub Copilot to expedite coding tasks. Developers can generate and refine code using NLP prompts, tapping into GitHub’s extensive Repo to move faster from concept to implementation.
Together, these tools represent a shift from traditional, expert-driven scripting to intuitive, AI-assisted automation, unlocking new levels of efficiency and scalability across our projects.
SSOE is utilizing Microsoft Copilot Edge and M365 to significantly enhance work efficiency and accuracy across various departments. Copilot is accessible to all staff after training. Key areas of application include using it as a writing assistant, for idea generation, document summarization and generation, research assistant, excel assistant, programming code assistant, language translations, product comparison and data analysis. Use of Copilot has become part of the everyday life of SSOE employees who have identified key ways it can help them become more efficient with their daily tasks as well as more accurate in their deliverables.
Today, 100% of SSOE employees have taken the voluntary training and have access to Copilot Edge, achieving early our October 1, 2025 goal.
We found ourselves in need of a more robust tool to enhance resource forecasting and staff assignment capabilities. Instead of waiting for the perfect tool, we’re building it. SSOE’s in-house technology team has developed and piloted a tool that aims to forecast optimal staff mix and duration for new projects against existing workload to better understand capacity and manage resources efficiently. Additionally, the tool will allow teams to identify gaps to optimal staff mix.
SSOE has developed a proof-of-concept to use an AI Agent to act as a Master Engineer and Architect trained in SSOE’s processes, best-known-methods, and trainings. Our data structure is being remodeled to enable better use of our proprietary knowledge to train the agent on the ‘SSOE way’.
We helped our client visualize and optimize façade design for occupant comfort—long before breaking ground through the use of the Autodesk Forma tool. It allows the designer to rapidly experiment with the building’s geometry and façade design to promote sustainability, prioritizing quality of spaces and comfort for end uses, especially in extreme climates (daylighting and microclimate analysis tools) at the project’s exact geographic location, using location-specific environmental data.
Discover how SSOE is using Autodesk Forma to improve sustainability outcomes for industrial projects: SSOE Group: Improving sustainability outcomes for industrial projects with Autodesk Forma.
Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) is SSOE’s enterprise-wide project delivery platform. We partner with the Autodesk Product team and have research access. Use of the AI Assistant allows our design teams, owners, and general contractors the ability to query the project specifications for quality, answers, and more rapid responses to RFIs, submittals, or issues.