Phoenix Communication Hub Gets 21st Century Makeover

Downtown Phoenix Technology Exchange (DPTE), a 21st Century facility that once printed the state’s largest newspapers, The Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette, from 1947 until 1996, will soon be a premier carrier-neutral telecom hotel serving the New Economy.

DPTE is the product of the Internet Age. “The adjacency to the main fiber-optic corridor makes this building a prime location to accommodate the needs of communication companies looking to house mission critical facilities that require continuous uptime for the 24x7 environment,” stated DPR’s Mike Ford.

In November 1999, DPR was chosen to transform the building for Sterling Network Exchange LLC, which acquired the longstanding landmark from Phoenix Newspapers, Inc. The 300,000-sq.-ft., four-story building, once home to newsrooms, copy desks, offices and printing presses, will now host data network providers and exchanges, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), telecommunication switch operators and carriers. Even the roof will easily become viable telecom space for wireless users.

“This facility is ideally suited for the telecom industry, not only because of its location but because of the building’s physical infrastructure,” noted Mike Medici, with project architect SmithGroup. The industrial floors easily support 100 to 250 pounds per sq. ft. compared to only 60 pounds per sq. ft. in the typical office building. “These floors are ideal to support heavy server and battery equipment, while the 12-ft.-high ceilings enable the owner to stack cabling and provide for raised access floors,” stated Medici. “In addition, the fortified walls and lack of window space are perfect for keeping the equipment safe and cool.”

Sterling’s Jeff Perelman and Mark Bauer, with the project’s brokerage firm, Cushman & Wakefield, said DPTE will be “one of the most powerful and electrically reliable buildings in the Southwest,” accommodating 50 Watts per sq. ft. versus 5 Watts per sq. ft. in an average office building.

Fast-track renovations began in December, under the supervision of DPR project manager Brett Helm. The greatest challenge was completing the demolition of the existing facility to a “cold shell,” and rebuilding it within six months to a code-compliant, up and running telecom hotel.

The team removed approximately three million pounds of three-line printing presses. Each press was removed piece-by-piece from the building, the largest press standing over two-and-a-half stories high by 200 ft. long. Four 20,000-pound winches were attached to overhead trolley beams, which lifted the largest press piece, 40,000 pounds, to an awaiting tractor-trailer, for offsite removal.

“This is an amazing construction project,” noted Ford. “DPTE, a building which once fed news and commerce to the state, will now transmit information to the world.”