Powering Progress: Precast Duct Banks Accelerate Ohio Data Center Construction
Building a large-scale data center in Columbus, Ohio, required underground electrical infrastructure that could meet demanding performance standards without slowing an accelerated construction schedule. Locke Solutions manufactured and delivered 100 precast concrete duct bank structures totaling more than 1,000 linear feet, providing an alternative to traditional cast-in-place construction. The completed sections arrived ready for installation, reducing on-site labor and concrete work. Crews installed more than 250 linear feet in a single day, demonstrating how precast concrete can improve installation efficiency while meeting the requirements of critical electrical infrastructure.
Fast Facts
- Project Name:
- Ohio Data Center Project
- Location:
- Columbus, Ohio
- Precast Products Used:
- Underground, Utility Products
- Precast Producer:
- Locke Solutions
- Completion Date:
- May 21, 2025
The Challenge
Construction of a large-scale data center in Columbus required more than 1,000 linear feet of underground duct banks to protect low-voltage electrical cables.
The project operated on an accelerated construction schedule, making installation speed and coordination critical. Traditional cast-in-place duct bank construction would require crews to assemble formwork, place concrete and complete related activities on-site.
The project team wanted to determine whether precast concrete duct banks could reduce lead times, improve installation efficiency and limit the amount of field labor required.
The structures also needed to meet specific durability and performance requirements, including concrete resistivity and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) requirements. Because the duct banks would protect critical underground electrical infrastructure, the concrete needed to meet standards intended to support long-term performance.
The challenge was to provide a system that could be installed quickly while satisfying the project’s technical requirements.
Precast Solution
Locke Solutions manufactured and delivered 100 precast concrete duct bank structures totaling more than 1,000 linear feet.
The structures were produced off-site and delivered as completed components, ready for placement within the data center’s underground electrical infrastructure system.
Locke coordinated manufacturing and deliveries with the project’s installation schedule, allowing sections to arrive as construction progressed.
To verify concrete performance, Locke used an independent testing provider to conduct resistivity testing. This testing helped verify that the concrete met the project’s requirements for protecting the electrical cables housed within the duct banks.
The precast approach eliminated the need to construct each duct bank in place, reducing field formwork, concrete placement and associated labor.
- 100 Precast concrete duct bank structures manufactured and delivered
- 1,000+ linear feet Total length of precast duct banks supplied
- 250+ linear feet Length of precast duct bank installed in a single day
- $310,000 Cost of precast concrete
Why Precast?
Precast concrete provided a way to accelerate underground electrical infrastructure construction while maintaining the quality and performance required for a large-scale data center.
Faster installation: Manufacturing the duct banks in advance allowed completed sections to arrive ready for placement. This eliminated on-site formwork and concrete placement associated with traditional cast-in-place construction.
Reduced field labor: Delivering finished structures reduced the number of workers and construction activities required on-site. The submission identifies this as an advantage for reducing worker exposure to potential jobsite hazards.
Coordinated delivery: Off-site production allowed Locke Solutions to schedule deliveries around installation needs, supporting the project’s accelerated construction timeline.
Controlled manufacturing: Producing the duct banks in a plant environment supported consistent manufacturing quality across all 100 structures.
Verified concrete performance: Independent resistivity testing helped verify that the concrete met project requirements. High concrete resistivity helps reduce the potential for corrosion, an important consideration for protecting underground electrical infrastructure.
Together, these advantages made precast concrete an effective alternative to constructing the duct banks entirely on-site.
Results
The Ohio Data Center Project was completed May 21, 2025, with Locke Solutions supplying 100 precast concrete duct bank structures totaling more than 1,000 linear feet.
During installation, crews placed more than 250 linear feet of precast duct bank in a single day, demonstrating the installation efficiency achievable with components manufactured off-site.
The precast approach reduced the need for field formwork, concrete placement and associated construction labor. Coordinated manufacturing and delivery also supported the project’s accelerated schedule.
Independent resistivity testing was conducted to verify that the concrete met the specified performance requirements for the underground electrical infrastructure.
The completed duct banks provide permanent protection for low-voltage electrical cables serving the data center. Although the submission identifies improved safety and reduced lead times as project objectives, it does not provide quantified labor-hour savings, comparative lead times or incident data.
- Written by:
- National Precast Concrete Association
- Source:
- Ohio Data Center Project, Built for Purpose Awards submission
- Published:
- October 26, 2026
- Last Update:
- Oct. 26, 2026
