Bohler’s Joel DelliCarpini To Talk About Managing Data Center Projects At Bisnow’s April 19 DICE Southeast Event

Strong demand for data centers means that new ones can’t be built fast enough in Atlanta. According to CBRE, less than 4% of Atlanta’s 252.5 megawatts of data center inventory was vacant at the end of 2022.

Atlanta is a market that has benefited from power restrictions imposed in Northern Virginia, Bisnow previously reported. Now, more than 1 gigawatt of additional data center capacity is planned in Atlanta.

Joel DelliCarpini, principal Atlanta regional manager for land development and site design consultant Bohler, has witnessed, and in many cases, helped to foster that growth. 

“We all know Ashburn, Virginia, is ground zero for data centers, but we've seen significant growth in the market here in Atlanta,” DelliCarpini told Bisnow. “A lot of developers who have a presence up there are starting to pursue the Atlanta market even more, and those include many of our clients.”

DelliCarpini will speak at Bisnow’s DICE Southeast event to be held in Atlanta on April 19. Bisnow recently spoke with him to learn more about the data center market there. Register to attend the event here.

Bisnow: What inspired you to speak at DICE Southeast?

DelliCarpini: For one thing, we’ve maintained a strong partnership with Bisnow for many years. But also, we’re doing a large amount of data center mission-critical work here in our Atlanta office. It's important, exciting and recession-resistant work, and we want to share our experience and expertise with the Bisnow audience.

Bisnow: Can you tell us about your role at Bohler?

DelliCarpini: I started my career at Bohler 23 years ago and have been excited to spearhead the growth of our Atlanta regional office for the past eight years.

I oversee our team and our projects, and spearhead our client relationships in our Southeast region, which includes Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and much of Georgia. 

Bisnow: What role does Bohler play in the data center sector and what trends are you seeing?

DelliCarpini: We get involved with projects at the very beginning, including site selection and design. We evaluate the potential of sites, looking at topography and whether there are any kind of environmental, access or utility concerns, including the presence of electric, fiber, water and sewer. We help determine the feasibility of the site and complete the due diligence. As we complete our design, we shepherd the project through the permitting process and answer questions from the community.

Once it's ready for construction, we're there with the client, helping them bid it through the contractors. Then we do construction management on-site, working hand in hand with the contractor to deliver the end product to the developer. 

We’re seeing more hyperscale data center development here, and the I-20 corridor west of Atlanta in particular has been a hotbed for data center development.

Bisnow: What will you be talking about on the panel Adjusting Design, Engineering and Construction to Today’s Dynamics?

DelliCarpini: Much of our work starts with solving sites that are very challenging from a topography standpoint, such as with wetlands and streams.

The scale of hyperscale facilities is like a large industrial warehouse development, but more complicated. These have significant underground utilities and duct banks, and you're not only designing three-dimensionally above ground with grades and pipes, but you're also looking underground three-dimensionally to make sure all your crossings, duct banks and what have you will work with all the other necessary utilities like sanitary sewer, water and stormwater.

It’s a bit of a jigsaw puzzle, starting two-dimensionally on the planning side but then getting into three dimensions both above and below ground. A constraint we may face is that many times you are introducing a large, impervious surface on a greenfield, and so the stormwater management requirements become significant. 

Also, these buildings are designed to be big boxes, generally on one flat plane or on a slight slope. But when you have these very challenging sites with difficult topography, the developer may have to look at constructing multiple buildings. The question then becomes: How do we stagger and offset the buildings to work with the grades without creating exorbitant construction costs?

Bisnow: What are the most pressing challenges for data centers today?

DelliCarpini: In our region, it’s often zoning and environmental challenges because most of the “easy” sites are gone. 

It’s a matter of making sure industrially zoned property is available. Otherwise, in some places rezoning can be fairly straightforward and in others it can generate much community pushback, so it's important to understand the politics there. You need to understand the tax base and how the local community views the proposed use of the property. 

Among the positive things about data centers is that, unlike with some other types of development, they do not generate a lot of traffic. They are also a boon to the school systems and can help grow them without creating a negative impact on the roadway infrastructure. 

On the utility side, a lot of these sites require their own electric substation, and there can be some significant lead time involved in their construction. We help clients navigate that, too.

Visit here to learn more about or to register for Bisnow’s DICE Southeast event.

This article was produced in collaboration between Bohler and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.