Build-to-Suit Data Center Solutions
A build-to-suit data center lets you decide the location, size, power density and level of resiliency. We handle design, construction and daily operation. Then we lease the finished space back to you, so the capital stays in your business, not in a building.
- SOC 2 Type II
- 2N+X power and cooling
- Tier IV design
- Category 5 rated
A Build-to-Suit Data Center Built For One Tenant, Operated By People Who Build Data Centers
A build to suit data center sits between standard colocation and building your own. The provider designs the space from the ground up around your requirements. It then owns and runs the facility, and you sign a long term lease for the finished result.
Keep Capital In The Business
You lease the finished facility instead of funding land, construction and equipment. Spend shifts from a large upfront capital project to a predictable operating cost.
Control Without Construction Risk
You set the spec, so we take on the contractors, permits, schedules and long lead equipment orders that make ground up projects risky.
Resiliency You Choose
Pick the redundancy level, cooling approach and power density per rack, rather than accepting what a shared hall offers.
A Location That Fits Your Plan
Build around business continuity, network access and power, with Volico sites in Miami, Pompano Beach, Atlanta and Chicago.
Every Layer Of The Facility Is Up For Discussion
Standard colocation starts from a finished room. A build to suit project starts from your requirements document. Your team makes the decisions below at the table, before crews pour concrete or run any wire.
Structure And Floor Loading
We rate floor loads for dense, heavy racks. We build roof and wall systems for local hazards, including Category 5 hurricane winds in South Florida.
Power And Electrical
Your redundancy level, circuit design and kW per rack, fed by 2N+X UPS and generator systems.
Cooling
Cooling is co-designed with your engineers, so containment and airflow fit the heat load you expect to run.
Security And Access
We lay out dedicated entrances, loading and staging areas, access rules and camera coverage so that security fits how your team works.
Connectivity
Carrier entry paths and cross connects planned in, so you bring the networks you already use.
Compliance Controls
Access logging and physical controls fit your audits, since the facilities already hold SOC 2 Type II.
From Rack Ready To Fully Custom. Accelerate growth with tailored data center solutions
Each step up the ladder buys more control and costs more lead time. Many customers start in colocation and move up when their footprint grows.
Retail Colocation
Cabinets and cages in a shared, finished data hall.
Go live
Days to weeks
Upfront cost
Lowest
Design control
Standard layout
Wholesale Colocation
A dedicated suite or hall inside a facility that is already running.
Go live
Weeks to months
Upfront cost
Low
Design control
Within the suite
Build To Suit
Space designed and built from the ground up to your spec, then operated for you.
Go live
Often 18 to 30+ months
Upfront cost
Low, you lease it
Design control
Full
What Volico Handles On A Build To Suit Project
A custom build pulls in real estate, finance, utilities, engineering and operations. You get one accountable team across all six instead of a stack of separate contracts.
Site And Real Estate
Financial Structure
We work out lease term, expansion rights and a clear capex versus opex picture before design locks.
Power Procurement
We coordinate with the utility and order transformers, switchgear and generators early, because those items usually set the schedule.
Design And Construction
One team handles engineering, permitting and construction management, while your engineers sign off at each gate.
Efficiency By Design
Efficient electrical and mechanical design brings down PUE, so your long term operating cost drops too.
Operations For The Long Run
Volico engineers provide 24/7 monitoring, smart hands and remote hands when your equipment goes live.
Six Phases, One Accountable Team
Industry reports put new build to suit projects at 18 to 30 months or more. The electrical supply chain drives much of that, since transformer lead times have stretched past two years in many markets.
We plan the schedule around those lead times from the first meeting. We also tell you early where the risk sits.
Need Space Before Your Build Is Ready?
Start in standard Volico colocation, then move into your dedicated space after commissioning, with the same engineers and network.
Market And Requirements Analysis
We document power, density, growth, compliance and network needs, then test them against each Volico market.
Site Selection
We pick the facility and space that fits your continuity plan and carrier needs, and confirm available utility capacity.
Design And Engineering
We draw layouts, electrical one-lines, cooling and security designs. Your team reviews and signs off on each before construction starts.
Permits And Power Procurement
We file permits and order long lead electrical equipment as soon as the design allows.
Construction And Commissioning
Construction management through completion, then full load testing of power and cooling before handover.
Move In And Operations
Migration support on day one, then 24/7 monitoring and smart hands for the life of the lease.
Eight Questions To Ask Any Build To Suit Provider
A build to suit lease usually runs ten years or longer. Put these questions to every provider on your shortlist, including us.
Can they finance the build?
Ask how the provider funds the project and what happens if costs move during construction.
Do they design data centers in house?
General contractors build buildings, but you want engineers who design for power, cooling and uptime every day.
Who covers space, power, cooling and network?
Each discipline needs a specialist on the project, so one generalist is not juggling all four.
Will the same company operate it?
A partner that builds and then runs the facility has a reason to get the design right.
How is physical security handled?
Look for layered access control, cameras and audited procedures, rather than just a badge reader.
How do they control speed and cost?
Ask about equipment ordering, standard designs they can adapt and how they price change orders.
What changes are possible later?
Settle expansion rights, renewal terms and exit options before you sign anything.
When A Custom Build Beats Shared Space
Build to suit takes longer than colocation. It pays off when standard space would force a compromise on density, security or long term size.
AI And High Density
GPU and HPC racks that need power and cooling far beyond a typical enterprise cabinet.
Expansion Or Relocation
Moving out of a facility you have outgrown, or adding a second site in a new market.
Exiting An Owned Facility
Handing off an aging building you own, along with the capital and upkeep tied to it.
Mergers And Acquisitions
Consolidating server rooms and data centers after a deal changes where your ideal location is.
Build To Suit Data Center Questions
Answers to what buyers ask most before scoping a custom build. Have one we did not cover?
What is a build to suit data center?
Data center space designed and built from the ground up for one customer. The provider owns and operates the facility. The customer leases the finished space on a long term agreement, so there is no large construction bill upfront.
How is build to suit different from a powered shell?
A powered shell gives you the building, utility power and fiber. You install the UPS, generators, cooling and interior yourself. Build to suit delivers a finished, operating space, and the provider runs the critical systems.
When does wholesale or retail colocation make more sense?
When you need capacity within weeks, or your footprint fits in cabinets, cages or a single suite. Both run inside a facility that is already live, so they are the fastest options.
Is build to order the same as build to suit?
The terms overlap. Some providers use build to order for custom capacity inside an existing campus. They use build to suit for a new building. Either way, we shape the capacity to your requirements.
How long does a build to suit data center take?
Industry figures put new builds at roughly 18 to 30 months or more. Power availability and electrical equipment lead times usually decide the final schedule, so we plan around them from the first meeting.
Who owns the facility and how is the lease structured?
The provider typically owns the building and infrastructure, and you sign a long term lease, often a triple net lease. You and the provider set term, renewals and expansion rights before construction starts.
Can we run in colocation while our space is built?
Yes. You can start in standard Volico colocation, then move into your dedicated space after commissioning.
How is a South Florida build protected from hurricanes?
Volico built FLL1 to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. Power and cooling run on 2N+X redundancy with on-site generators. You can also pair a Florida build with a recovery site in Atlanta or Chicago.
Send Us Your Spec. We Will Come Back With A Plan.
Share your power, space, density and compliance requirements. Then a Volico engineer will walk you through site options, a design approach and a realistic timeline.