Ascent to Develop New Data Center in St. Louis Tech Corridor for $85M

Ascent, a St. Louis-based provider of solutions for the development, design and operation of data centers, is expanding its footprint in its hometown, with plans to develop a new multi-tenant facility spread across 15 acres of a greenfield site.

By Anna Spiewak, News Editor

Ascent, M+H Architects

Ascent St. Louis office

Ascent, a St. Louis-based provider of solutions for the development, design and operation of data centers is expanding its footprint in its hometown with plans to develop a new multi-tenant data center spread across 15 acres of a greenfield site, for $85 million, as reported by the St. Louis Business Journal.

STL-1 - Architectural_2

STL-1 rendering

The facility, called STL1 will be developed near the Plymouth Industrial Park in Wellston, according to SLBJ, close to a host of medical research facilities, academic research institutions and various businesses. It will feature Ascent’s Dynamic Data Center Suite model, designed to provide highly flexible and scalable data center infrastructure needed for St. Louis-based enterprises and the growing biotechnology, life sciences and start-up sectors, according to the news release.

“I’ve been wanting to do something in St. Louis for a long time — I have been eyeing the property for more than a decade,” Phil Horstmann, CEO of Ascent told Commercial Property Executive.  “This is our first speculative purpose-built data center in St. Louis.”

Similar to Ascent’s CH2 and CH3 data centers in Chicago, the St. Louis facility will offer rack-ready, purpose-built autonomous suites as well as shared infrastructure for customers looking for enterprise-level solutions at a lower cost. Plans include 24-foot high ceilings and 40-foot column spacing. The facility will be 88,000 square feet, flexible and built out in phases, according to Horstmann.

“We are in talks with potential tenants. St. Louis has numerous Fortune 1000 based businesses, biotech and life sciences, financial services providers and start up tech companies,” Horstmann added, referring to potential tenants occupying the facility.

Aside from the existing two data centers in Chicago, the company also plans to build out three more data centers, including STL1 and data centers in Phoenix and Denver, the CEO confirmed.

STL1 is slated for completion in the summer of 2015.