Rethinking the Standard in Data Center Construction
Faster installs. Cleaner jobsites. Repeatable at scale.
On a 270,000-square-foot hyperscale data center build with 12 phased deployments—and more buildings already underway—the project team needed temporary walls that could keep pace with construction without slowing down other trades or introducing additional risk.
Traditional stud-and-plywood containment wasn’t built for projects moving at data-center speed.
StackBarrier™ helped the team move faster, reduce labor dependencies, and maintain a cleaner environment across a multi-building campus.
The Challenge: Building at the Speed of Data
Large-scale data center construction runs on one metric above all else: time.
“Data centers don’t deal in money… they deal in time,” said Mike Goss, Project Manager at Midwest Drywall. “They’re a whole lot more concerned with the number of days on the calendar.”
Hear It from the Field
Midwest Drywall Project Manager Mike Goss explains why speed, cleanliness, and repeatability matter on large-scale data center builds.
On this project, crews were working across multiple phases while equipment installation and commissioning activities continued nearby. The team needed a way to separate work areas, control dust, and keep construction moving without creating delays for adjacent trades.
The original plan called for traditional metal studs and fire-rated plywood. It’s a familiar approach, but one that introduces additional framing, labor coordination, cleanup, and disruption during both installation and teardown.
For Goss, cleanliness quickly became one of the biggest differentiators.
“If we hadn’t used the STARC system,” he said, “you’re dealing with steel studs, filthy sheets of plywood, and bringing them down around the gear. You have a much greater risk of damage.”
The Solution: A New Standard in the Field
Instead of defaulting to traditional methods, the general contractor aligned multiple trade partners around a single temporary wall system: StackBarrier.
“There’s three drywall companies out here,” Goss said. “They wanted something that was uniform across all three companies.”
That consistency helped simplify coordination across crews and buildings while creating a repeatable process for future phases already underway on the campus.
From the first installation, the difference was obvious.
Panels arrived ready to install. Crews connected sections, secured them in place, and kept moving.
“It’s like dropping tile,” Goss said. “You’re just done.”
Even without prior experience using the system, crews adapted quickly.
“Halfway through the first wall, they had it dialed in,” he said. “The first time I checked with the guys, they said, ‘not easy.’ The next time I talked to them, they said, ‘easy.’”
The quick learning curve helped crews standardize installation across multiple buildings already underway on the campus.
Goss said the simplified installation approach helped significantly reduce labor demands compared to traditional framing and plywood methods.
The Results: Faster Builds. Cleaner Jobs. Proven at Scale.
For Midwest Drywall, one of the biggest advantages wasn’t just speed—it was maintaining a cleaner, more controlled environment around installed equipment and active construction zones.
The finished panel system reduced mess during both installation
and teardown while minimizing disruption inside the data halls.
“We had absolutely zero problems with the general contractor on scheduled drop-dead dates,” Goss said. “We just blew right through.”
We had absolutely zero problems with the general contractor on scheduled drop-dead dates. We just blew right through.
Mike Goss, Project Manager, Midwest Drywall
The team also sees long-term value in reusability as additional buildings move into construction.
“I think you guys were about $450,000 for the building,” Goss said. “Imagine if we can cut that down by a third or half and reuse it. That’s pretty substantial.”
As the campus continues expanding, the project team expects reusable temporary wall systems to play a larger role in future builds.
For Goss, the shift reflects a broader change already happening across mission critical construction.
“I foresee a day where sheetrock walls are going to be largely eliminated in data centers simply for the dust,” he said. “I just think this is evolving into something much bigger.”
Built for the Speed of Modern Data Centers
Reusable wall systems that help teams move faster, stay cleaner, and simplify phased construction.
