There are a number of stories today about the opening of Microsoft's new data center in Quincy, Washington, most of which are based on reports filed by either Reuters or the AP that don't add much to what's already known about the project.
The new Quincy site is also a milestone for Turner Construction, which led a team of 500 workers and contractors who worked around the clock seven days a week for several months to "fast track" the completion of the project. Ground was broken on the 250,000 square foot first phase on May 8, 2006, and a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy was issued on February 15, 2007.
"Eleven months ago when we were just breaking ground, we weren't entirely sure that Turner could really pull this off - and they did it," said Mike Manos, Senior Director of Data Center Services for Microsoft. "Turner took us from the ground up to live operations in less than a year."
"It was an amazing collaborative effort," said Jack Beaudoin, Vice President and General Manager of Turner, who cited support from Microsoft's Mike Duffy and David Gauthier, and the architect/engineering team led by Leonard Ruff and Josh Reyneveld of Callison and Nick Yalich of EYP Mission Critical Facilities.
Turner is also working for Microsoft/Windows Live on a data center projects in San Antonio, Texas, as well as "multiple other domestic and international locations."
During 2006, Turner completed $8.6 billion of construction. Founded in 1902, the firm is a subsidiary of HOCHTIEF, one of the world's leading international construction service providers.
