From the road, a two-million-square-foot data center looks like a very large warehouse. Concrete walls, a flat roof, truck courts, a security fence and acres of gravel around it. That resemblance is why warehouse builders get calls from data center developers. The shell, the slab, the site and the yard are our daily work. The racks and the electrical rooms inside are a specialist's business, and we say so plainly.
Oklahoma has become a serious data center market in the past few years. In April 2026 an operator announced a $1 billion, 2-million-square-foot data center on the 2,000-acre Fair Oaks industrial innovation park in east Tulsa, expected to be operational in 2028 with more than 1,000 construction jobs at peak. In October 2025 a separate campus north of Tulsa was announced at $3 billion across multiple phases, with up to four facilities and close to 1.2 million square feet.
We build the structure and the site that data center owners need, and we coordinate with the electrical and mechanical teams who fit it out. That means enclosure, foundations, slab, roof, yards, pads, drainage and access roads, built to a schedule that does not leave the power gear sitting in a field.
Why the work is arriving here
Power is the draw. The Department of Commerce says Oklahoma produces 61 percent more energy than it consumes, that renewables generate 47 percent of the state's electricity, and that energy costs run 17 percent below the national average. Data center site selection starts with available megawatts, and a state with a surplus and cheaper power gets a call.
The projects are spread across the map. At Pryor, a data center site total reached $4.4 billion after an added $75 million in 2022, with more than 800 full-time and supplier roles. Sand Springs approved an 827-acre data center on annexed land about eight miles north of downtown in February 2026, with construction planned to start in 2027 and finish by 2029. In Chickasha, a joint venture is supplying on-site power for sectors including data centers. Our local pages for MidAmerica Industrial Park and Sand Springs describe the sites in more detail.
What a warehouse builder delivers on a data center
We build the building envelope and the civil work around it. On a large campus that often means a tilt-wall or insulated metal shell with a long roof span, a heavy slab with embeds for equipment, a site that handles drainage and truck traffic, and a perimeter that supports security. Roof design matters, because rooftop mechanical equipment and water control matter more in a data hall than in a dry warehouse.
We also coordinate the utility yard. Substation pads, generator yards, fuel storage, chiller pads and underground duct banks all sit outside the hall, and they all need earthwork, concrete and conduit. Our site utilities package is built for that type of long, buried scope. We bring in licensed trades for specialty electrical and mechanical work, and we coordinate them.
The long-lead problem
Data center schedules depend on equipment lead times: switchgear, transformers, generators and chillers can take longer to arrive than the building takes to erect. We often start with a site package and early foundations so the owner can set equipment on schedule, then release the rest of the shell in phases. The multi-phase campus north of Tulsa, with first-phase completion targeted for summer 2027, shows how owners stage the work.
Permit and rezoning timelines can set the real start date. In Enid, a proposal for four data center campuses with an estimated capital investment of up to $35 billion was reported in September 2026, with rezoning filed for two sites and no city approval yet. That is a proposal, not a project, and we treat it that way. A prudent developer plans site work only after entitlements are in hand, and we help owners build a schedule that reflects.
Security, safety and storm planning
A data center site is a controlled space. We plan fenced laydown yards, badge access, background checks for crews when the owner requires them, and delivery windows for heavy equipment. A project that peaks above 1,000 construction workers needs parking, shuttles, restrooms and a safety orientation process that handles large numbers without chaos.
Weather planning matters too. The National Weather Service Norman office records 4,518 Oklahoma tornadoes from 1950 to the present, with May the peak month. Owners ask for envelope designs that protect the equipment inside, so we detail roof attachment, wall panels and penetrations carefully. We also discuss where staff would shelter and how to protect the site during a storm warning, since a flying construction material is a risk to the building before it opens.
What drives the price outside the hall
Most of the cost in a data center is in the equipment and the interior systems, which sit outside our scope. In our scope, the cost drivers are size, structure type, roof, civil work and the amount of utility yard. A site with poor soils needs more subgrade improvement. A site far from a road needs a haul route. A rural site may need a temporary power and water plan for the build itself.
We recommend that owners price the shell and site as a separate package from the fit-out. That lets the owner compare shell alternatives, concrete or metal, and select a structure that fits the schedule. For developers working on spec campuses, developer and REIT clients have a different financing path than end users, and we tailor the pricing accordingly.
Who uses a data center shell
The buyers fall into a few groups: large technology companies building for themselves, developers building campuses for lease, and infrastructure investors. They all want fast, predictable construction. We talk to each differently, because an end user knows exactly what the hall needs, while a developer needs a shell that adapts to several tenants.
If the project is closer to an ordinary warehouse or a flex building, our pages on the warehouse and flex and light industrial building types explain how the work differs.
Send us the campus plan
Send us the site, the target megawatts and the phase plan. We will return a shell concept, a site package and a schedule built around equipment lead times. Our Enid page covers the north-central market.
Common Questions
Do you build the data hall interior?
We build the shell, structure, slab, roof and the site around it, and we coordinate the electrical and mechanical contractors who fit out the hall. Specialty interior systems are designed by engineers who focus on data center power and cooling. We coordinate the licensed trades who install them.
How much of a data center budget is the building?
The shell and site are usually a minority of the total, because power, cooling and equipment dominate. The precise share depends on the tenant and the design. We price the shell and site separately so the owner can see the numbers.
Is the Enid proposal real?
A developer proposed four data center campuses in Enid, with rezoning filed for two sites, and the city had not approved it as of the September 2026 report. We treat it as a proposal. Owners should confirm entitlements before spending on site work.
Which building code applies?
The state sets minimum codes through the Uniform Building Code Commission, and cities adopt and enforce their own editions and amendments. We confirm the edition and any city amendments at the start of each project.
Can the work be phased?
Yes. Large campuses are usually phased by building, hall or power block. We design the site, utilities and perimeter for the full campus, then build the first phase and add the rest as customers sign.