Per-Facility Analysis · Updated July 15, 2026

Dallas-Plano Data Center: A Robust Exterior Layout

A well-designed exterior: robust across wind conditions, with one localized item to watch. Public-source inputs. Screening-level.

What This Page Covers

This page presents a screening-level exterior CFD analysis of an 18 MW data center in Plano, Texas (DFW metro), designed by a national MEP engineering firm with a dedicated mission-critical practice. Unlike most facilities in the survey cohort, this facility keeps its heat-rejection plant at grade: a ground-level arrangement of air-cooled chillers, cooling towers, and packaged units, with the rooftop carrying only exhaust fans. Backup generators sit in a fenced perimeter yard along the west side.

The headline is a favorable one. The exterior layout holds up well across a range of wind conditions, keeping chiller intakes within range in most cases. The analysis presents the one direction that produced a localized exception.

Facility Context

The facts below are derived entirely from cited public sources including the operator's published facility brochure, public facility databases, permit records, and aerial imagery. No proprietary drawings, specifications, or operational data are used.

Location: Plano, TX (Collin County, DFW metro).

Owner-operator: A major Dallas-market colocation operator.

Critical IT capacity: 18 MW critical UPS load; Distributed Redundant 4:3 UPS; N+1 cooling; 1,500 W/SF density; ~1.3 PUE.

Building: ~261,425 SF, single-story, purpose-built, 24-ft ceilings, pressurized raised floor.

Cooling: Ground-level plant: air-cooled chillers (Trane RTAC-class), cooling towers (BAC VCA-class), and packaged units, on a closed-loop condenser-water system with free-cooling. Rooftop carries exhaust fans only.

Backup power: 9 diesel generators (CAT C175-class) in a K1-rated fenced perimeter yard on the west side, in two groups (a northwest group and a southwest group). Stack and radiator discharge.

Compliance: HITRUST CSF, PCI DSS, SOC 1/2/3, NIST 800-53, ITAR / SSAE 18.

Scenario Presented

Wind and ambient.
Wind from the southeast (135°) at 20 mph, 92°F ambient. Of the directions screened, this is the one that produced a localized exception at the eastern chiller bank.

Operating scenario.
All generators and all chillers running at full load, which is the on-generator condition that maximizes both the exhaust source and the heat-rejection demand together.

This page presents the southeasterly case, the one that produced a localized exception. Additional wind directions were examined as part of the survey's directional screening; the layout held up across them, and the full matrix is available to the engineering team on request.

What the Model Shows

The observations below are qualitative readings of the presented scenario. Quantitative outputs (per-unit intake temperatures, recirculation magnitudes) are shared with the engineering team on request.

1. The exterior layout is robust. Across the wind directions screened, the site keeps generator exhaust largely clear of the chiller intakes. The at-grade separation between the west-side generator yard and the cooling plant, combined with the building massing, disperses exhaust before it reaches most of the heat-rejection equipment. This is a favorable result, and worth documenting as such.

2. One localized exception, under a southeasterly wind. With wind from the southeast, a single area on the eastern chiller bank sees elevated local intake temperature. The effect is localized and modest, which is a small concern rather than a systemic one, but it is the kind of edge case a directional screening exists to surface.

3. Ground-level heat rejection changes the exposure. With chillers at grade rather than on the roof, the recirculation question is grade-to-grade: whether the generator yard's exhaust reaches the cooling plant across the site, rather than lofting onto a roof. This facility's layout handles this well in most directions, which is itself a useful design data point.

4. A documented baseline. For a facility that performs well, an exterior model provides a defensible, on-the-record confirmation of exterior thermal robustness — and pinpoints the one direction and location worth a second look, should the design or load ever change.

Methodology

The methodology applied here is the same standardized exterior CFD approach applied to every facility in the cohort — cylindrical far-field domain, logarithmic atmospheric boundary layer inlet, polyhedral mesh in Siemens STAR-CCM+, realizable k-ε RANS baseline. The presented case uses a 92°F ambient (site elevation ~620 ft). Full domain setup, boundary conditions, solver choices, and stated limitations are documented at the Methodology page. Key terms used here are defined at the Key Terms and FAQ.

For the Facilities Engineering Team

The full per-facility figure set, the complete wind-case matrix, and a quantitative summary are available on request. We share these directly with the named engineer of record, not with third parties. This facility reads as a well-executed exterior layout; the material here documents that robustness and isolates the single southeasterly edge case on the eastern chiller bank worth a closer look. Contact stewart@resolvedanalytics.com and reference this Dallas-Plano facility.

About the Author

Stewart Bible, Principal, Resolved Analytics. Resolved Analytics is a Computational Fluid Dynamics consulting practice and authorized Siemens STAR-CCM+ reseller, with a long-standing service line in mission-critical facility exterior analysis. Contact: stewart@resolvedanalytics.com.

Disclosure

This is independent research conducted by Resolved Analytics without engagement, sponsorship, or input from the building owner, operator, or engineer of record. All inputs are derived from cited public sources; no proprietary drawings, specifications, or operational data are used. Results represent idealized exterior conditions and do not represent the actual as-built performance of any facility. No claims are made regarding life-safety, code compliance, or operational performance. All firm and project references have been anonymized. This material is not engineering services rendered to any party.