Verizon Switching Facilities - Alpharetta, GA

Verizon Wireless Regional Network Center, Alpharetta, GA

Pond provided architectural and engineering services for a new 48,000 square foot regional network center in Alpharetta, GA. Approximately 30,000 square feet of this facility made up the switching center, and the remaining 18,000 square feet was designed for the administrative office space.

This facility houses multiple switch rooms, a control center, two 10,000 ampere DC power plants and office space for approximately 70 network personnel. Extreme care was taken to ensure that the client’s design and installation standards were satisfied. Services provided included architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical design including the DC power plant design.

Pond balanced levels of redundancy, efficiency, security, etc. versus the capital strains placed on the owner. Electrical system redundancy consisted of multiple, interior generators and battery backup in addition to loop feeds from the local utility company. Other electrical design components consisted of lightning protection, multi-level surge protection and detailed external and internal grounding systems.

Mechanical systems were designed for N+1 redundancy and located to ensure that no rooftop penetrations existed over the core technical areas. VESDA (air-sampling, aspirating smoke detector) systems and FM200 fire suppression were used in the technical areas. The structural framing was designed to support the massive quantities of power and communication cables as well as the bus bars in the DC power rooms. The architectural design compliments the existing business park surroundings without disrupting the residential dwellings to the rear and provides efficient functionality for the owner. The overall space plan and design systems are to be used as a prototype for future switching centers in the area.

Verizon Wireless Mobile Switching Center, Macon, GA

Pond provided architectural and engineering services for a new 32,000 square foot Mobile Switching Center in Macon, GA.  Approximately 22,000 square feet of this facility made up the switching center, and the remaining 10,000 square feet was designed for the administrative office space.

The facility houses multiple switch rooms, a control center and two 10,000 ampere DC power plants. Extreme care was taken to ensure that the client’s design and installation standards were satisfied. The services provided are very similar to the Alpharetta facility described above.

Verizon Wireless Telecommunications Switch Facility, Raleigh, NC

This project included a new 23,000 square foot raw-land mission-critical facility. Pond provided full design including civil, structural, architectural, mechanical and electrical services on a fast-track schedule.