Data Center Construction in Prosper, Texas

Shell and core is the stage where a Prosper data center becomes a building, and we plan it so that the structure, the envelope and the central electrical rooms are ready to take equipment on a set date. We build shell and core packages for corporate and enterprise operators in Collin County, and we size the structure around the loads and clearances the equipment will need rather than around a standard warehouse module.

The corridor around US 380 and the Dallas North Tollway is attracting large office and mixed-use plans. On October 27, 2026, the Prosper Town Council approved zoning for The Marco, a 143-acre development at the northeast corner of the tollway and US 380 with more than 1 million square feet of Class A office space in two corporate campuses and up to two hotels. Developments like that bring tenants who want private computing nearby, and they also bring design standards that a data center must respect.

A shell built for mission-critical use differs from a speculative shell. Slab thickness, clear height, roof loading, roof drainage, door sizes and security layers all follow the equipment plan. We settle those items with the owner during preconstruction. For comparison, owners often look at Frisco and McKinney, which share the same highway network.

Water infrastructure shapes how land is used here. The central 15-acre navigable lagoon and canal system planned for The Marco is also meant to serve as regional stormwater infrastructure, according to the Town of Prosper announcement posted October 28, 2026. A data center near such a feature must design its own detention to work with the shared system and must keep critical equipment safely above water levels.

Neighbors in a corporate district will expect clean lines, screened yards and low noise. We place generators and cooling equipment where buildings screen them, choose enclosures with sound treatment and plan truck access that avoids pedestrian areas.

Construction hours are another point of agreement. In a mixed corporate district we propose limited noisy work, a posted contact for complaints, street sweeping at set times and a haul route approved in advance. Those commitments are cheap to make early and expensive to promise late.

US 380 crosses Prosper and meets SH 289, known as Preston Road, inside the town. Today the Dallas North Tollway stops at First Street in Prosper, around a mile above US 380. A six-lane extension of roughly 6 miles will carry it through Prosper and Celina to FM 428, with completion scheduled before the end of 2027.

For a data center owner, those roads determine staff access, truck routes and the likely location of fiber conduit. The extension will change how parcels are valued, and we help owners judge whether to build now or wait for the final alignment.

The tollway also matters for fiber. Carriers often follow major corridors, and a new road creates a new right of way for conduit. We ask carriers where they plan to build and place building entrances to meet them, which keeps the owner from paying for long private trenches.

Structure and envelope are the obvious costs: tilt-wall or precast panels, steel roof framing, roofing, doors and insulation. Less obvious are heavy slab sections under equipment, trench drains, containment curbs and the extra steel needed for roof-mounted equipment.

Site work is the second pillar. Detention, utility extensions, paving for truck loads and landscaping required by local standards can equal a large share of the building cost. We price them separately so the owner can compare sites. Our tilt-wall and precast shell estimates show the cost of each panel option.

Roof systems deserve a line of their own. A data center roof carries chillers, dry coolers, exhaust fans or solar equipment on some projects, and the structure must be sized for those loads along with ponding water. Membrane type, insulation thickness and drainage layout also affect long-term leaks, which is the most expensive repair in a live hall.

We start from power and cooling, then work back to the building and the site. In Prosper that means asking the utility about capacity before we finalize the shell size, and asking the mechanical engineer how much roof or yard area the cooling plant needs.

Once those facts are in hand, we freeze the shell dimensions and procure structural materials. Panel casting, steel fabrication and roof deliveries are tied to the schedule, and weekly meetings track every long-lead item.

Long-lead materials include more than electrical gear. Precast panels, structural steel, roof insulation, overhead doors and security hardware can each take weeks or months, and a missing door can hold up an otherwise finished building. We list them all, not only the largest ones.

We manage projects in Prosper and its neighbors from preconstruction through commissioning support. The town's 2023 financial report puts Prosper ISD first among employers at 3,334 people, well ahead of a grocery chain and a restaurant chain at about 400 each. The district opened its third high school, Walnut Grove, in the fall of 2023. A school-driven economy means local trades are busy, so we engage them early, and enterprise and financial operators planning a private facility benefit from that early commitment.

Owners who need a second site can look at Celina or Allen for different land and power situations. We offer the same standards on each project.

Phasing matters as well. When an owner expects to build a second building on the same parcel, we leave utility stubs, easements and pad space for it and record them on the drawings.

The package includes foundations, floor slab, structure, roof, exterior walls, interior partitions for core spaces, mechanical and electrical rooms, loading dock and security entry. Trade partners place the concrete, erect the structure and build the envelope, and we schedule, supervise and inspect them.

Mission-critical slabs deserve attention. They must be flat, level and strong enough for racks and heavy equipment, and we control curing and joints to prevent cracks that would threaten raised floors or containment.

Before the slab is poured, we check the subgrade, vapor barrier, reinforcement and embeds with the structural engineer. After the pour, a floor survey records flatness and levelness, and any area outside tolerance is repaired before equipment is set. That record becomes part of the turnover package.

Share the parcel and the equipment plan. We will propose a shell, a procurement schedule for long-lead items and a site plan.

What is shell and core?

It is the building structure, envelope and basic core spaces, without the interior fit-out of the data halls. It lets the owner secure a weather-tight building while equipment and tenant requirements are finalized.

Do corporate campus neighbors affect a data center?

They can. Design standards, screening and noise limits often apply, and tenants nearby may complain about generator tests. We plan for them in the layout.

How does the tollway extension affect planning?

It changes access and land value. We help owners decide whether to proceed now or time the project to the new alignment.

What panels are best for a shell here?

Tilt-wall panels and precast panels are both common. We compare cost, speed, finish and security for the specific parcel.

Who builds the shell?

Qualified trade partners handle concrete, steel and envelope work. We schedule, supervise and inspect it.