TEAM Des Moines Partners LLC, a subsidiary of TEAM Technologies, is moving closer to announcing its plans to build a Tier III data center on a five-acre plat at the Crossing at Alice’s Road in Waukee.

Built in three phases, the $14 million data center will be the first business to begin operating in the commercial office park development, according to Brad Deets, Waukee’s director of development services.

Each phase of the development will consist of approximately 17,000 square feet to be completed in September 2009, September 2010 and September 2011, respectively.

Tami Wiencek, a public relations consultant for Cedar Falls-based TEAM Technologies, said that when deciding where to build, the company looks for “progressive communities that know what data centers do,” as well as the right system of power availability.

Proximity of power sources and “redundant fiber protections” are crucial in maintaining the day-to-day operations of a data center, which houses hundreds of individual servers and information from various businesses, said Brad Schoenfelder, vice president of development for Ryan Cos.’ Des Moines office. Ryan Cos. is expected to being construction of the 46,000-square-foot project in late August.

The data center will border Alice’s Road on the north end of the site, just south of a MidAmerican Energy Co. substation – making it a prime location for its power needs.

Special considerations, such as bullet-and-fire resistant walls and glass for the main structure, and access to emergency backup power, must also be taken into consideration when designing and building a data center of this magnitude, according to Eric Ritland, an architect for Invision Architecture.

Furthermore, the site must also be located at least one mile from an airport, outside of a flood plain and within 30 miles of a metropolitan area.

“We believe in building our centers in the Upper Midwest,” Mark Kittrell, TEAM’s vice president of business development, said in a press release. “We think the region is ideal for data centers because of the low risk of terrorism, earthquakes and other natural disasters. We build our centers to withstand tornadoes and carefully choose sites outside of flood plains. We call our method security through obscurity.”

The design of the center is dictated by the level of protection needed for the racks and cages inside of the data center, said Ritland, making the ability to have exterior windows limited. The design of the masonry, however, will be articulated to help make it more aesthetically pleasing. And although the building doesn’t quality for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification – due to the power requirements necessary to maintain the facility – Invision is utilizing “sustainable design practices,” he said.

Though TEAM Technologies has not officially announced the project, a site plan approved by the Waukee City Council on Monday has moved the venture forward, according to a press release issued by the company.