Based in Madrid, Diego Camazano is a seasoned leader in data center design and strategy, balancing his professional achievements with life as a father of two. He began his career as an engineer at various design firms and consultancies before joining ArchTam eight years ago as a project manager. Over the years, Diego has advanced to become Head of Data Center in Spain and now serves as Data Center Sector Lead in Spain and is responsible for the growth of the co-location (CoLo) sector in Europe. In this role, he drives ArchTam’s expansion into CoLo markets, scaling operations and championing sustainable growth across international regions. His work focuses on identifying strategic opportunities, developing growth initiatives, and aligning cross-functional teams to deliver impactful results globally.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry.

My passion for engineering and construction began early on. I’ve always been fascinated by how the spaces we live and work in are conceived, designed and built. That curiosity naturally led me to pursue a degree in engineering, and my professional journey began over 20 years ago at a Spanish firm, where I had the opportunity to learn from talented professionals, including one of my former university professors.

In the early stages of my career, I focused on designing a wide variety of building projects. This experience gave me a comprehensive view of the industry and a deep understanding of the unique challenges each project presents. In 2008, I designed my first data centre, and I was immediately drawn to the technical complexity, operational criticality and fast evolution of this sector.

In 2010, driven by a desire to bridge the gap between design and execution, I made the decision to transition from engineering into construction. I wanted to experience firsthand how design takes shape on site and how challenges are resolved during the construction phase.

Since then, I’ve worked across sectors like hospitality, defense, infrastructure and data centres — always with a mindset of learning, adapting and embracing new challenges. ArchTam has been the ideal place to consolidate that journey: a global company with multidisciplinary teams and a strong commitment to technical excellence and international collaboration. In 2020, I returned to the data centre sector to lead a hyperscale construction project. By 2022, I was given the opportunity to head our data centre sector in Spain. Today, I also support its growth across Europe and serve as client account manager for several key international clients.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

More than a single project, I would highlight my journey leading the data centre sector in Spain. In 2022, I stepped into this role at a time when we had only one client in the country. It was a challenging beginning, building trust, aligning and connecting geographically dispersed teams, and structuring the service delivery model.

Through collaboration, perseverance, and a shared vision, we’ve built a strong, multi-skilled team capable of delivering high-impact results across the lifecycle of data centre projects. Seeing the sector grow — with new clients and increasing complexity — has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career so far. It’s not just about project success; it’s about building long-term relationships and becoming a trusted advisor to our clients in a fast-evolving industry.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

The data centre sector plays a pivotal role in enabling the digital transformation of our society. The projects we deliver help strengthen the technological infrastructure of entire regions, generate local employment during construction phases, and support broader economic development.

Our work also increasingly integrates sustainability standards from energy efficiency to the circular economy, making a positive environmental impact. But perhaps one of the most fulfilling aspects has been working with multicultural, multi-geography teams — shaping the way we collaborate with greater empathy, cultural awareness, and a truly global mindset. That shift not only improves our delivery, but it also strengthens our connection to the communities we serve.

Share a piece of career advice.

There’s a quote that always keeps me going: “Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.” – Jim Rohn

Invest in your own development, embrace complexity, and see each challenge as a chance to expand your skills and perspective. Surround yourself with strong teams, build trust and focus on creating value.

Throughout my career, I’ve learned that growth often comes from discomfort, from those moments when you’re out of your depth but choose to lean in instead of step back. The most meaningful achievements are rarely the easiest. That mindset has helped me stay grounded and keep evolving, personally and professionally.

The post People Spotlight: Meet Diego Camazano appeared first on Blog.

When digital twins first entered the market, they were met with the excitement and high expectations that often accompany new technological innovations. Providers and vendors naturally sought to capitalise on this enthusiasm, often promising significant cost savings in facility operations and maintenance.

Over a decade later, the mistakes made in those early days have become apparent. Instances of overpromising, unmanaged expectations, and lack of clarity around costs have led to jaded clients and asset owners.

Efforts are now needed to clarify and effectively communicate the potential of digital twins. How can we, as an industry, remove the buzz from the buzzword and effectively convey the potential of digital twin technology? The term itself is challenging due to the lack of a clear definition, which contributes to confusion and misunderstanding. Our experience in working with different customers at a global scale has allowed us to eliminate distractions regarding what works and what doesn’t, providing us with the expertise to understand what delivers value, prioritise client outcomes, and partner with clients to deliver cost-effective solutions.

Global excellence

ArchTam demonstrates global excellence and reach through client delivery, thought leadership, and innovation in digital twins. Due to the diversity of sectors ArchTam serves, the tools developed adapt across diverse sectors, providing robust, open reporting of key project data appropriate to the audience. This makes ArchTam an ideal partner for complex digital transformations.

By leveraging digital technologies, ArchTam enhances funding mechanisms and market differentiation, ensuring smarter, more efficient systems post-construction, positioning ourselves as a leader in the infrastructure sector.

Dynamic and connected

Digital twins can best be defined as dynamic, connected digital representations of real-world entities that enhance decision-making, drive action, improve outcomes, and enable predictive analytics. Success depends on developing them with a specific use case in mind, providing solutions to clients’ current or future problems.

The industry’s scepticism stems from how digital twin technology was initially pitched — product-based and focused on building space. This led to overengineered, one-size-fits-all solutions that often didn’t suit specific tasks, raising unrealistic expectations and ultimately disappointing clients.

Integrated solutions implementation

As a systems integrator across sectors, ArchTam’s unique value proposition for deploying digital twins at scale is not only the diversity of the services that we provide, but also the scope and complexity of the programs of work that we deliver. ArchTam’s approach to digital twins combines domain expertise, strong collaboration with global technology partners, and partnerships with key industry organizations to drive standards in implementation, execution and operations of technology ecosystems.

As an example, we have worked to create digital twins for water, energy management and sustainability, and urban space as outlined below.

Our Global Digital Leader, Mike Karl is a key contributing member of SWAN Smart Water Networks Forum and has co-published a digital twin values guide for the industry at large. His forward-thinking approach and perspective have helped us deliver digital twins for Scottish Water.

Our Sustainable Legacies strategy is fundamental to the way we deliver work for clients all over the globe. Our deep partnership with the National Renewables Energy Lab allowed us to put that strategy into practice with a campus wide implementation of a digital twin that focused on energy management, sustainability, and the reduction of carbon across all their facilities. This model is being reviewed for the potential to scale across multiple Department of Education labs within the United States.

Our involvement in the development of Europe’s first smart canal in Glasgow, partnering with Autodesk, highlights our ability to create a dynamic digital representation of the canal system, enabling real-time monitoring and management of key operations and environmental factors.

Enhancing value

At ArchTam, digital twins are developed as ecosystems of different data sources, harmoniously brought together to resolve business needs, to provide a solution that prioritises resolving the specific use case or business need. We move away from multipurpose, off-the-rack solutions to more tailored, quick-time-to-value approaches.

Achieving value for the end user involves determining the necessary interface to provide required information, reducing components to their simplest form. Starting light, with a vision and long-term strategy, allows continuous growth and integration of new technologies and data sources over time.

Integration of systems is consistently improving. The ability to bring different data sets together is continuously advancing. This enhances the value proposition of digital twins by improving how they are perceived and function holistically. By placing digital twins in their operational context and considering external factors, we maximise their effectiveness, for customers and communities.

The role of Geographic Information Systems

As discussed, an asset does not operate in isolation, even if it’s a bespoke piece of infrastructure. There will inevitably be external factors that impact operations, planning, and other processes. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are integral components of digital twins, unlocking value for end users. GIS and the geographic approach incorporate digital twins into a spatial context, enabling links to external systems. This provides a pathway to a “twin-of-twins” mindset, which we at ArchTam call a ‘distributed twin.’

The concept of extended reality (XR) further enhances the digital twin’s ability to connect with its user base. XR encompasses virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, making the digital twin more interactive and immersive for the end user. By integrating XR, digital twins can provide a more collaborative and engaging experience, allowing users to visualise and interact with data in a more meaningful way.

As you can see, digital twins can be used for more than just buildings. It’s a common misconception that the technology needs to be applied to a 3D model or visual representation of a building or facility. Instead, digital twin technology can be applied to planning, design and construction, customer experience, maintenance and driving decarbonisation. By leveraging GIS and XR, we can create more comprehensive and effective digital twins that address a wide range of use cases and deliver enhanced value to end users.

Tailoring a digital twin

Indeed, the great benefit of a digital twin is its ability to be tailored across an organisation’s various functions. Identifying these functions is crucial to maximising the technology’s value. Instead of focusing on using digital twins for a single department, it is essential to explore use cases that are relevant across the organisation to realise integrated opportunities and benefits. By examining one function in isolation, you are less likely to achieve your goals, and digital twins may not be feasible or worth the effort.

In short, while the scepticism surrounding digital twins is understandable, the issue lies in how they were initially defined and marketed. The value that digital twins can provide is very real, but the focus needs to be on the use case and the functionality of the solution, prioritising business needs. With great excitement comes great expectations, but we must prioritise great delivery above all.

The post Dispelling the disillusion: Demystifying the digital twin appeared first on Blog.

Where it all begins

Identifying and securing funding is the first step in planning for CBTC development. Transportation agencies often must juggle competing priorities within their capital programs, departmental budgets and timelines. To tackle this, agency leaders need to set clear priorities and align their train control migration with overall capital improvement plans. With funding usually tight, exploring federal, state and local grants can be a crucial part of project development. By identifying these resources early, agencies can map out a realistic project scope and create a phased plan for rolling out the CBTC system.

Partnering for success

By engaging with a trusted partner, agencies can advance a smoother, safer and more cost-effective CBTC transition while building a solid foundation for long-term operational success. Experienced partners bring specialized expertise in key areas such as technology, design, alternative delivery and implementation strategies, risk mitigation, cost reduction and knowledge transfer. Their know-how and deep understanding help them spot potential challenges early on, resolve issues quickly and avoid design or implementation mistakes — saving agencies time and money.

Collaborating with the right team can pave the way for long-term success in agencies. By prioritizing the future, they can assist in training agency staff, providing clear and thorough documentation, and developing scalable systems that simplify maintenance and facilitate seamless growth. Moreover, a partner who understands agency procedures, departments, and business processes can customize procurement and rollout strategies to align with agency requirements. Our ArchTam team offers these insights to the Maryland Department of Transportation / Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) as it implements a new CBTC system for the Baltimore Metro. As the program and construction manager for the project, we act as MDOT MTA’s trusted advisor, working alongside the agency and leveraging our technical expertise and understanding of agency operations to guide the contractor toward optimal solutions that fulfill MDOT MTA’s needs. This collaborative approach is streamlining the process and reducing costs for the new system.

Plan the rollout

CBTC offers many benefits — like cutting down on system maintenance — but it’s no secret that development and installation is challenging, particularly when it is overlayed onto an existing system. For agencies with tight budgets, breaking the project into phases, such as assessment and planning, design and integration, and pilot demonstrations can keep it moving forward.

Building a solid phased approach is often a juggling act. To create an effective plan, agencies need a clear understanding of their current system — its strengths, needs, available funding and resources. This all must be weighed against CBTC components and installation capabilities to establish the rollout timeline and how to tackle it. Whether it’s a short- or long-term project, the goal should be to complete each phase thoroughly, build on progress and get the system ready for full CBTC installation.

Improve the current system

Introducing CBTC components incrementally is often the most practical means of installation. This allows transit agencies to lay the groundwork for full system deployment while improving existing transit infrastructure.

Fiber optic networks, for example, serve as the backbone of CBTC and represent an excellent starting point for development. Building out and integrating these networks enhances older transit systems by enabling critical functions such as station-to-station communication, live CCTV monitoring for security, and real-time public service announcements. These capabilities prepare the system for CBTC migration while providing immediate benefits, including improved safety and communication. Real-time wayfinding and emergency incident management information can assist passengers during disruptions. To ensure a smooth transition, agencies might consider issuing requests for information to the industry to confirm that communication infrastructure installed in advance will fully support future CBTC signaling migration.

The path forward

Transitioning to CBTC is a journey, not a leap. By securing funding, collaborating with experienced professionals, planning phased rollouts, and enhancing existing infrastructure, transit agencies can build a foundation for safer, faster and more reliable service. Incremental improvements today pave the way for tomorrow’s CBTC systems, delivering immediate benefits while setting the stage for long-term success.

The post Kickstarting success in communications-based train control: Four key steps appeared first on Blog.

Tell us about your career journey and current role at ArchTam.

Throughout my 30-year career, I’ve served as a principal or project director for major infrastructure projects in the transportation and energy sectors. My passion for transit kickstarted with my aspirations to improve communities by providing people mobility choices to get to school, work, access to better healthcare and to live a more sustainable life.

In my new role as acting Transit Market Lead for the Americas, I’ve leveraged my transit and rail program and project experience into a long-earned reputation for having a keen sense of industry trends in the transit and rail fields. My ability to identify and prioritize strategies that help agencies succeed and communities thrive also helps ArchTam maintain its role as an industry leader.

What major trends across industries will impact the transit sector?

The rapid development and adoption of new technologies and the green economy are changing the way transit agencies address everyday tasks and how the largest transit infrastructure projects and programs are being designed and constructed.

There are shifts toward modernization such as the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), zero-emission vehicle technologies, continued rise of automation and the re-emergence of modular construction, which support the transit industries goals of improving service and driving costs of capital projects and transit operations down. The continued adoption and application of these techniques and technologies are paving the way for the transit industry’s future.  For instance:

• The transit industry has started to adopt the use of building information modeling (BIM) and digital twin in major capital projects. AI will provide an opportunity for further increase in automation of BIM design by employing a process of “designing to cost”.  A significant increase in the capital cost of infrastructure projects and a diminishing availability of operations funds increases the opportunity for the industry to put these new techniques and technologies to good use.
• Another trend is the re-emergence of modular design and construction or design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA). By using a manufacturing approach to infrastructure projects, this trend can drive capital and operating costs down while increasing sustainability and reducing the carbon footprint of a project.
• Last, energy transition and renewables will continue to trend with new advancements and innovations in everything from energy storage to management solutions to new renewable profiles coming to market. In my role, I’ve witnessed transit agencies in the U.S. take advantage of funding available through the bipartisan infrastructure bill for low/zero-emission vehicles to refresh their bus fleets.

Highlight your biggest achievements at ArchTam and in the global transportation industry.

My passion for the everchanging industry is illuminated in my work at ArchTam on transit and rail projects which led to the honor of being named as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of California for 2024.

I’ve worked on every rail line currently operating for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and helped to develop the early vision for light rail in Austin. I also helped develop the 2018 California State Rail Plan that re-oriented the plan to focus on customer outcomes first. On Valley Link, I’m helping to develop a rail service that will connect Central Valley communities to jobs in the Bay Area of California with zero-emission, green hydrogen trains.

In addition to those projects, I’ve served in operational and business development roles, supporting the executive leadership team at ArchTam by driving transformation through strategy, growth, leveraging trends and future-forward thought leadership in transit and rail and the ESG space.

I’ve witnessed and felt the positive impact our projects can have on individuals, communities and the world. The tangible, positive outcomes have strengthened my ability to place myself in my clients’ shoes to assist them in reaching their goals.  At ArchTam, I see myself continuing to support exponential growth while mentoring the next generation of diverse leaders so they can not only succeed at ArchTam but also drive technology and modern approaches to delivering transit infrastructure globally.

My best advice to aspiring leaders is to lean in, trust and bet on yourself and your ideas. Most especially in a dynamic, future-oriented industry like transit, be bold in bringing your ideas to the forefront.  It takes diverse voices to truly make a meaningful and sustainable impact in any industry.

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Shabna Hayes is a chartered electrical engineer with a rich background in technical fields, starting with her education in South Africa to her impactful roles in the UK. Shabna’s wealth of experience encompasses comprehensive mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP), civil, structural and architectural solutions. She is also a dedicated mentor and advocate for diversity and inclusion in the engineering field, actively participating in diversity and inclusion programs to inspire the next generation of engineers.

Tell us a bit about yourself – your role and career journey.

From a young age, I always knew I wanted to pursue a career in a technical field. At school in South Africa, I focused on technical drawing and electronics, reflecting my passion for engineering.  I graduated with a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and have a higher national diploma in Power Engineering.

After completing my studies, I joined KKA Consulting Engineers, where I learned the fundamentals of building services engineering. Moving to the UK, I spent nine years at Atkins, working on projects for BT and Crossrail, and also the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games for three years. I then joined WSP, focusing on data center projects.  I’ve been with ArchTam for the last five and a half years, where I’ve delivered multiple data center projects for many major global hyperscale clients.

I am part of ArchTam’s technical practice network and mentoring programs, working closely with junior engineers, to provide guidance and support. I collaborate with our training teams to ensure we offer the best possible technical training opportunities for our engineering graduates. I am a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, actively championing gender equality and equity through “She Builds”, Women’s Engineering Society (WES) and Infrastructure Masons (IMason), which promote women in engineering, construction and digital roles.

Talk to us about a technology or data center project that has impacted or been a major highlight of your career. How is it solving the challenges and issues our clients and communities are facing today?

One major highlight of my career was delivering a hyperscale data center for a global tech client. The complex project required adapting a standardized design to meet local codes and regulations across multiple countries. The key challenges included managing vendor engagement for critical equipment and ensuring a modular design that allowed for incremental expansion without disrupting operations. Using this approach allows for our clients to scale their data centers quickly to meet growing demands.

The project was also a great example of ArchTam’s strengths in communication and global collaboration. Our team comprised experts from United Kingdom and Ireland, South Africa, India, and the U.S. to deliver comprehensive MEP, civil, structural, and architectural solutions for our client. This project not only enabled us to meet our client’s needs but also allowed us to demonstrate how modular data center designs can efficiently support rapid growth and technological advancements, addressing the evolving demands of our clients and communities.

How do you manage the balance between energy efficiency and maintaining high performance when it comes to data centers?

Balancing energy efficiency with high performance in data centers is challenging due to their inherent high-power consumption. We achieve this through several key strategies. We focus on efficient cooling systems to keep power usage effectiveness low. During site selection, we consider the availability of resources like electricity and water too so that strategies for zero generators and optimum cooling solutions can be provided.

We also implement waste heat recovery systems, repurposing the heat generated to warm nearby homes and facilities, thus improving overall energy efficiency. Integrating renewable energy sources where possible further supports sustainability and reduces the carbon footprint.

Higher-performing data centers naturally use more electricity, so it’s crucial to minimize mechanical cooling to maintain efficiency. Our goal is to ensure that any additional power consumption is balanced with efficient cooling solutions. By focusing on these strategies, we help our clients achieve high performance while minimizing cooling expenses and total operational costs.

What are the most significant trends and technological advancements currently shaping the data center industry?

The biggest trend shaping the data center industry today is the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This technology is experiencing astronomical growth and is a major driver of change with a very steep, upward trajectory. As AI becomes is becoming more integrated into business operations, the demand for data processing power is increasing significantly. This results in processing racks now requiring higher power, leading to a substantial increase in kilowatts per rack.

We understand that for our clients with existing data centers to be able to accommodate this increased demand associated with AI, the infrastructure supporting data centers must also expand. This includes integrating potentially larger transformers and more robust power solutions to ensure that the additional space can be accommodated within the existing building footprint. These upgrades are necessary to handle the increased power needs brought on by AI. The consideration of the overall plant area necessitates careful planning to ensure that existing data centers can meet these new requirements.

For new data centers, this means going back to the drawing board to design facilities that can handle future AI demands. For existing data centers, it’s about finding ways to optimize and increase power output without limited expansion of the physical footprint. The challenge lies in the many unknowns surrounding AI’s future needs, making it extremely difficult for clients to plan and invest with certainty. AI is significantly impacting data center design and infrastructure, requiring both new and existing facilities to adapt to its growing demands. Embracing these advancements will be crucial for maintaining competitiveness and meeting the evolving needs of the digital age.

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Mylena Maximo is an architectural coordinator based in Brazil specializing in data center design. During her career at ArchTam, she has overseen the completion of four data centers and 14 logistics warehouses. Her design principles navigate challenges such as energy efficiency and environmental impact. Her approach to staying current with rapidly evolving technologies allows her to be adept at customizing solutions for our clients.

Tell us a bit about yourself – your role and career journey.    

For as long as I can remember I’ve always been fascinated with buildings and had a desire to pursue a career in architecture. I graduated with a degree in architecture in 2013 and joined an engineering firm with an architectural division, which gave me a great opportunity to interact with lots of different teams regularly and contributed significantly to my growth as an architect.

I joined ArchTam in 2019 where I’m currently the architectural coordinator for ArchTam’s Buildings + Places business in Brazil. Over the last 10 years, I’ve been fortunate to work on a diverse range of projects, including schools, water parks, residential towers, corporate real estate, and more recently, data centers and logistic warehouses. I’ve overseen the completion of four data centers with a total capacity of 120 megawatt and 14 logistics warehouses which has helped me refine my professional journey tremendously.

Talk to us about a project that has impacted or been a major highlight of your career. How is it solving the challenges and issues our technology clients and communities are facing today?  

The market and demand for data centers are rapidly growing.  On top of the intricacies of installations and equivalents in data centers, there is the complexity of the MEP requirements and the need for very meticulous coordination between Long Lead Equipment (LLE) in the initial design phases. On one particular data center project, I worked with a client who didn’t speak Portuguese. Initially I thought this would be a challenge and barrier, but it actually allowed me to be exposed to different global architectural practices and approaches and resulted in a really enriching experience.

Data centers play a crucial role in modern society, contributing significantly to community development in many ways. They facilitate digital transformation, support the development of new technologies like artificial intelligence, aid scientific research, and enhance community connectivity through improved access to information. It is rewarding to be part of a project that, when completed, will enable more efficient data handling and foster innovation.

What are the key considerations and challenges you take into account when designing a data center, particularly in terms of infrastructure, scalability and energy efficiency?

Designing data centers involves addressing challenges such as energy efficiency, water consumption, environmental impact, and data privacy. We need to ensure that the facilities are deployed responsibly and sustainably to the end users and communities. One key consideration throughout every data center project is the site selection phase, as the location of a data center can have a huge impact on the environment, costs and overall operation. We always consider factors like energy and water availability, climate, and potential for future expansion due to the growing demands of the market.

Here in Brazil, ArchTam is conducting audits to assess the technical, social and environmental impacts associated with data centers. As designers, we always make sure we stay up to date with the latest technologies and construction materials to ensure we provide optimal solutions, not only for our clients but also for the local communities to ensure that our data center designs minimize their environmental footprint.

How do you go about assessing the unique needs and goals of clients when beginning a new design project, especially in the context of hyperscale data centers or logistics warehouses?

We take a multifaceted approach to understanding and meeting our data center and logistics clients’ unique needs. Many types of hyperscale data centers are from outside Brazil, but we always ensure the prototypes align with Brazilian codes, even if there’s rigidity with the prototypes. We actively suggest engineering solutions aligned with the local Brazilian context and consider local challenges. For example, in our design for one data center in Brazil, we incorporated a rainwater collection system to reduce water wastage.

We don’t have a one size fits all solution for our clients — we customize solutions for them as technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning change and evolve so rapidly. The unpredictable nature of these technologies drives us to stay current with the latest updates in the market and share insights with the clients’ technical teams, ensuring our designs align with the industry needs of today and tomorrow.

The post Digital Infrastructure: Meet Mylena Maximo appeared first on Blog.

I’m a passionate planning manager in ArchTam’s Los Angeles office and was drawn to California from 7,000 miles away to pursue my master’s degree in planning at the University of Southern California. With a seven-year tenure with ArchTam, I’ve dedicated myself to advancing the transportation sector and making impactful contributions to the broader L.A. community.

I have a deep passion for the transportation sector and actively seek opportunities to broaden my expertise and engagement. I’ve contributed to a wide range of projects, encompassing various modes of transportation and emerging technologies in diverse settings. I combine my experience in the public and private sectors for clients across the U.S. and globally such as FRA, USTDA, L.A. Metro, SCAG, TriMet, DelDOT, the L.A. 2028 Olympics Committee, and NEOM, to name a few.

My expertise in planning has flourished since my move to L.A., especially in transit and rail. I now understand how different modes of transportation support the diversified needs for mobility and its vitality. It’s more than just motion — it’s the lifeblood of the city, influencing the daily routines of residents and the delivery of goods.

I believe in and am deeply committed to sustainable development, and I will continue my journey as a transit advocate and do what I can as a practitioner to help advance quality transit systems and bridge neighborhoods with improved connectivity.

Pioneers in the transportation industry work towards crafting a more healthy, diverse and resilient L.A. My involvement in projects like the Crenshaw Northern Extension project for L.A. Metro holds personal significance because it directly influences my own commuting experience. I’m also contributing to the Sepulveda Transit Corridor project, aimed at addressing the infamous congestion on I-405, a challenge recognized nationwide. Engaging in projects closely connected to my daily life fills me with so much joy and satisfaction as I feel I’m actively doing my part to improve the quality of life for residents in communities just like mine.

L.A.’s reputation for urban sprawl, traffic jams and car-centric culture is undeniable. I believe that enhancing mobility in L.A. is a multi-faceted challenge that will require a harmonious blend of efficient cross-sector collaboration, astute infrastructure policy, technological integration and effective public engagement. 

To boost L.A.’s mobility, prioritizing the expansion and refinement of its public transit is essential. I advocate for systems with dedicated lanes and stress the significance of safe and seamless first/last-mile connections. Implementing robust policy measures, considering emerging transportation technologies and exploring innovative solutions like congestion pricing and EV infrastructure will drive L.A. toward improved mobility for all.

Envisioning L.A.’s transportation future, I’m a key member of ArchTam’s North American Zero-Emission Transportation team, specializing in EV-related policy and strategic development advisory. I foresee L.A. swiftly embracing mass EV adoption, bolstered by the rapid roll-out of charging infrastructure and fleet conversions. For cities like L.A, intertwining innovation with sustainability, equity and safety is key to establishing efficient and inclusive transportation networks.

The post Driving L.A.’s transportation evolution: A planner’s perspective appeared first on Blog.

Luis Lopez is our technology market sector lead for Latin America. Luis has a wealth of experience in the construction and delivery of data centers across Latin America for some of the technology sector’s leading organizations. He worked on the first hyperscale data center in Mexico and the region’s Global Crossing Network — a complex project encompassing both undersea and land-based cables spanning the United States, Mexico, Panama, and various other South American countries.

Tell us a bit about yourself – your role and career journey  

I began my career in the telecoms industry in 1991 helping to build Mexico’s first fiber optic network for long-distance services. I started working at ArchTam four years ago, as a senior data center project manager, where I managed third-party projects and served as a client account manager for one of ArchTam’s major clients in the technology sector.

During the last year and a half, I have been working in-house for one of our clients managing their construction projects and as a technical consultant on the design of data centers. Over the last four years, I’ve worked on a total of nine data center projects in Mexico — three as a technical advisor focusing on design and construction administration and seven as a construction manager and customer representative.

Talk to us about a project that has impacted or been a major highlight of your career. How is it solving the challenges and issues many tech companies and communities are facing today?

A significant project that has been a highlight of my career is the recent hyperscale data center deployment in Queretaro, Mexico.

The immense scale of these data centers meant I had to manage three construction projects at the same time. Two of the projects were from one lease provider and one was from another, so that was really challenging to handle. Typically, each new data center project holds 4 megawatts as an initial phase, but this project required us to manage a total of 12 megawatts in one go across three different projects.

Another really interesting project I’ve had the opportunity to work on in my career was the Global Crossing Network — a complex project encompassing both undersea and land-based cables spanning the U.S., Mexico, Panama, and various other South American countries. I started as the first employee of Global Crossing Mexico and, in just three years, our small team of seven people had handled nearly $4.2 billion of projects across diverse networks, including undersea and terrestrial fiber optic systems.

As the project evolved, I transitioned to oversee the work as the construction and operation director in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, facing significant challenges including requests, negotiations and planning.

What are some of the unique challenges you are facing in designing/managing data center construction and how are you overcoming them?

One of the unique challenges I’ve faced working in the sector in Mexico was when we introduced a new data center facility concept that hadn’t been used country before. When ArchTam embarked on the project three years ago, we were pioneering the construction of hyperscale data centers in Mexico, now, there are about 12 of these types of data center projects in the area.

Dealing with new technology to support operations while maintaining a compressed schedule posed significant challenges. ArchTam’s role involved project management, which included coordinating, reviewing, and advising on project management and construction management for general contractors, lease providers, and our end client.

I leveraged my extensive experience of major construction projects, including airports, stadiums, and seaports, along with my history of managing large teams to address these challenges. These hyperscale projects involve substantial megawatt capacity, with initial phases ranging from 16 to 64 megawatts, and some will reach up to 70 megawatts. To put that in perspective, the combined power consumption of the upcoming data centers could be nearly twice that of Queretaro city, including the industrial area, which is one of the fastest growing in the country.

How is the digital evolution shaping data center construction management practices?

The digital evolution has significantly shaped construction management in the data center space. Cutting-edge technologies like 360-degree modeling and advanced AutoCAD extensions facilitate 3D modeling of buildings, aiding in project visualization, clash identification, space optimization, and progress tracking. They help us to ensure projects stay on schedule, within budget, and efficiently allocate resources.

In terms of data center construction management practices, the pandemic accelerated data consumption, leading to increased power demands worldwide, including in Mexico. The development of hyperscale data centers will provide better support for various industries and improve real-time processing and efficiency. These data centers are essentially the backbone of cloud services, which encompass the storage and processing of vast amounts of data. They also notably serve as backups for critical equipment, safeguarding businesses from catastrophic events.

Small data centers are strategically placed near industrial and financial hubs, serving as the edge and last-mile connectivity points. These data centers, linked to larger hyperscale facilities through high-speed connections, represent a revolutionary shift in IT processes and automation, extending beyond traditional financial clientele.

Many different clients and applications in real time processing are going to benefit from the development and delivery of these new types of data centers and I’m proud to be a part of bringing them to life.

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This week, we are highlighting a program manager for technology and data center projects, Adam Way, from our Buildings + Places business. Adam and his team used their skills to deliver an expedited, mid-pandemic add/move/change program to upgrade facilities for one of our logistics clients. Launched at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, the effort involved working simultaneously at over 60 sites in 26 states across the U.S.

A registered civil engineer with more than 20 years of experience, Adam works at the intersection of people and technology. His team spans all geographies and employs advanced yet simple technologies to deliver services ranging from site selection and due diligence through building prototyping, detailed design and operational overhauls.

He is well-versed in industrial site development engineering, general infrastructure and inter-company coordination. His team broke geographical and organizational barriers, tapping into expertise and resources from around the world to quickly stand up virtual and co-located teams of professionals to support this challenging, fast-tracked program.

Tell us about a project that has impacted or been a major highlight of your career?

It would have to be the 2020 multi-site logistics facility improvements for a global technology client, where we studied, planned and designed uniform upgrades at over 60 active facilities in a matter of weeks. The program was identified about four months before the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the U.S. and, keeping an eye on the global horizon, we knew we had to move fast and plan well.

We pushed both real and perceived boundaries with creative, responsible resource and pipeline management. The result was a geographically and culturally diverse project team with more in common than they knew they had at the onset. The lessons learned and values affirmed at this stage enabled us to quickly scale up a round-the-clock project team that included more than 600 ArchTam field technicians, engineers and architects from across the world. Our team was under contract and working in the field within a month.

As part of this project, my team and I evaluated delivery fleet electrification and incorporation of photovoltaic technologies, improved the working conditions for the client’s employees, phased the construction planning to minimize client’s operational downtime, maximize revenue and enhance customer service.

We also established a “project toolbox” of client-facing KPI trackers that allowed us to plan and execute the work in spite of the challenges presented by the pandemic. Throughout this project, we demonstrated that we can quickly form talented teams and have systems in place to collaborate and respond to our clients’ needs. In short, this program formed the identity that we have today.

What was a key challenge you/your team faced while working on this project? How did you solve it?

Executing a fieldwork-intensive program during the pandemic was a major challenge that we were able to turn into a major achievement. In March of 2020, we had dozens of people deployed in the field and suddenly the airports, restaurants and gas stations all shut down.

Our journey management, safety and contingency plans enabled us and our clients’ management teams to safeguard our employees and the project, making sound decisions based on risk, schedule and cost data in order to hit the standard. As a result, our employees remained safe in the field, knowing they knew they were supported by our Safety, Health & Environment (SH&E) officers, our human resources team and their own local business and operations leaders.

When the pandemic hit, we brought people home safely and were able to regroup. Within a few weeks, we formed a remobilization plan with the approval of ArchTam and client executives — and despite the global shutdown — we ultimately delivered a successful program.

How has ArchTam enabled you and your teams to cultivate the expertise needed to deliver the project — and future work like it?

ArchTam’s unique combination of reinvestment into our people and technology drives our team’s expertise and capabilities across geographies. As a firm, we sponsor specialized training, mentorship, and team building within and across the thousands of organizational possibilities, so that we all can thrive. The 2020 multi-site program is one of many examples of the success of this readiness.

I participated in the 2018-19 Lift Program, one of ArchTam’s executive readiness tracks and, coincidentally, our program group’s capstone for the year was a study in how to quickly assemble and mobilize our company’s major project teams amidst known and unknown headwinds — an example of firm-driven insight that proved to be fundamental in delivering the program for this logistics client.

Focusing on our core value of Innovate, our company also represents and develops digital solutions to address our clients’ legacy, current and future challenges. The availability of enterprise-level technology subscriptions such as Power BI, ArcGIS and Autodesk Construction Cloud also plays a big role in advancing our work.

High-powered design and quality automation tools, along with dashboards like SmartSheets and ArchTam in.Site^TM are part of our everyday workflows. This program, in fact, resulted in digital innovations that now drive quality workflows within our region and are being evaluated for standard adoption across ArchTam globally.

How has this experience shaped your approach to future work?

There’s a saying that “great leaders create more leaders, not followers.” Working on this logistics program really accelerated the careers of the team members who spoke up with their best ideas — and had the resourcefulness and initiative to make them work. Many have taken on lead roles in comparable and even exponentially larger programs. It’s brought a real can-do, no-blame culture across our teams.

Years later, we’re using these same core values to answer our technology clients’ toughest questions around regional trends, geopolitics, and lingering supply chain and corporate real estate issues, including a multi-geography prototyping and bridging documents design project for a first-of-kind data center fleet. These aren’t just designs, they’re reliable, repeatable solutions that hold their value and relevance throughout complex, end-to-end client organizations.

We triangulate across our own regional and global design and decision hubs to expedite knowledge and culture transfer, regardless of the project’s origin and location. The success of the logistics program helped us expand our design and engineering capabilities and advance knowledge share among developing teams across all our geographies. We train, support and empower teams to propagate into self-sustaining operations.

Maintaining and strengthening these internal relationships allows us to connect with other parts of our global business doing the same work and pair them with each other. It’s another way we provide best-in-class client support, and collaborate and innovate to deliver for our clients.

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This week, we are highlighting our Global Broadband Practice leader from our Buildings + Places Technology Solutions Group (TSG) and how he and his team used their skills to plan and recommend fiber-optic connectivity to unserved and underserved facilities, devices, homes and businesses across the entire state of Maine.

Eric and his team provide broadband solutions to a wide range of clients—electric cooperatives, local, county, and state agencies, global Tier 1 internet service providers, and emerging technology companies—all with different goals and aims. Whether he’s working with a community to expand broadband services or an electric cooperative to implement a smart grid initiative, his approach is collaborative and often cross-jurisdictional.

He and his team have helped design and architect connectivity for a smart corridor (“The Smartest Street in America”) for San Mateo County, California, which features air quality sensors and technologies to improve traffic, and pedestrian and bicycle safety; and a 2500-mile fiber-to-the-home network in Indiana and Cambria counties in Pennsylvania that is planned to serve 25,000 unserved and underserved homes together with a smart grid initiative for the area’s electric cooperative. In line with our Sustainable Legacies strategy, common themes in Eric’s projects are sustainability, resilience and improving social outcomes.

Tell us about Maine DOT’s fiber expansion strategy project and what led to it becoming a collaborative, statewide initiative?

I enjoy working on projects that involve a statewide footprint. Much of my background is in the public realm, so I also have a soft spot in my heart for projects that solve complex challenges for multiple public sector agencies at once.

On the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) project, we helped two state entities with different missions join forces to make high speed connectivity accessible to the DOT and universally available for unserved and underserved residences and businesses in Maine.

This project started with a transportation corridor and evolved into a statewide initiative. MaineDOT was interested in expanding its intelligent transportation system (ITS) devices, so it needed to evaluate the feasibility of designing and installing its own fiber infrastructure.

A couple of examples of ITS technologies are traffic cameras, remote sensors and message boards to enhance infrastructure resiliency and expand Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure for smart traffic management. Since the DOT has historically used third-party data communication connectivity or wireless technologies to connect to the ITS devices and its own facilities, this is a first-of-its-kind project for them.

MaineDOT covers and is responsible for a large corridor footprint across the state and owns the public right-of-way, making it an ideal partner for the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA), who is planning for large-scale broadband rollouts. With a mission to “advance digital equity for all Mainers,” one of the MCA’s biggest challenges is finding the ideal corridors that traverse close enough to people living and working in rural parts of the state.

The MaineDOT-MCA working partnership provides an opportunity for the two organizations to blend their missions and integrate their resources and approaches to optimize public funds. They’ve collaborated with several other public sector agencies and private sector service providers throughout the life of the project. Through community engagement, they’ve been able to effectively plan and design for a statewide fiber expansion.

Since the two entities own little to no existing fiber, we walked them through the challenges, and pros and cons related to owning their own fiber-optic infrastructure. Then, we focused on how and where to expand broadband access to help set both entities up for success and align with the guidelines of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and its goal to ensure every American has access to reliable high-speed internet. MCA is now in the beginning stages of its plan to expand fiber-optic communications out to people and communities that face greater barriers to connectivity.

What was a key challenge you faced while working on this project? How did you solve it?

The key challenge was breaking down and quantifying where and how DOT and MCA should build this new infrastructure within Maine. We created a corridor prioritization tool to identify and visualize “Goldilocks corridors.” Goldilocks corridors are found within local and regional broadband zones that demonstrate the strongest need and highlight the biggest gaps in broadband service and availability. They also contain ideal site candidates in terms of federal funding and fiber optic connectivity.

The Goldilocks zones match and conform as the top Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and agency prospects to serve existing or future transportation device locations, community anchor institutions (CAIs), and unserved and underserved households and businesses.

Pairing up the communities’ needs and the Goldilocks corridors for expanding broadband access to rural unserved households and businesses can improve the quality of life for citizens and foster economic development in towns and neighborhoods.

Using this concept and tool, we’ve helped MaineDOT and MCA find the “sweet spots,” and illustrate where available funding can serve the largest number of eligible devices, end users and CAIs along or next to those key corridors. CAIs play a crucial role in closing the “digital divide,” by expanding both broadband access and adoption in communities.

IoT connectivity provides smart traffic management, improves safety, mitigates sustainability challenges and enables more efficient resource management. Expanded fiber will also be key to future technologies such as Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) and electric vehicle charging stations of the future.

We also created a cost-benefit tool to assess public and private investments in connecting sites along these corridors. Using this cost-benefit tool we’ve been able to help DOT and MCA justify the dollars invested, quantify the investment, and understand the potential grant match percentages needed to execute a future project as well as understand the value of their right-of-way.

How has this experience shaped your approach to future work?

“Dig once” is what the industry calls using a single infrastructure project to satisfy many different infrastructure initiatives. A key takeaway of this project was our recommendation to Maine to form a statewide Broadband Working Group (BWG). The BWG can help facilitate partnerships with other agencies and find shared needs when it comes to planning broadband expansion across Goldilocks zones to help enable access to broadband services at the lowest possible shared cost.

A thoughtfully planned transportation project can coalesce agencies, facilitate partnerships, put into practice a “dig once” policy and drive broadband deployment in unserved and hard to reach areas of a state. Also, using digital tools to find the Goldilocks corridors and zones proved to be a fantastic way to crystallize an idea for expansion into a concrete and practical picture that clients can understand, quantify, promote and gain the most consensus for shared broadband adoption.

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