SoFi Stadium Modular DAS Data Center

The Challenge

In September 2019, nine (9) months prior to opening, the SoFi Stadium team redesigned the in-stadium, Distributed Antenna System (DAS) data center to accommodate additional retail and seating at the site.

As a result, the new DAS data center was housed onsite, yet outside of the venue itself, and completed within a fast-paced design and construction schedule between September 2019 and May 2020 — during COVID-19.

The Design Solution

The DAS module design, manufacturing and assembly began with a design charrette in September 2019 in Los Angeles. In addition to the HKS-led design and construction team, key decision makers from the stadium were also in the room. As a result of this collaboration, the DAS modular data center was designed, and approved by the client, in less than one day and prior to a signed contract.

The DAS modules were fabricated and assembled in Houston, Texas, between October 2019 and January 2020. The first delivery, a white space interior model, arrived on site in February 2020. The modules were delivered with MEP systems already designed and installed, and delivery and placement of all 30 modules was completed by April 2020. The standardization of the modules’ sizes simplified the manufacturing and the transport of the finished product to the project site.

‘Grey space’ modules were pre-populated with cooling and power equipment prior to being shipped from the factory, thus reducing work time at the site. The DAS modular assembly and all critical equipment wholly contained within a screened perimeter wall, affording a secure environment to critical operations, and effectively sequestering those operations from the public environment at SoFi Stadium.

The Design Impact

This was the first deployment at this scale and at this speed of a modular data facility anywhere, going from slab to ‘Room-Ready’ in less than 60 days, a process that might normally take 10 months or more. The data center, located next to SoFi Stadium, can easily accommodate high-volume cellular and data traffic for fans and broadcast networks alike.