How large are data centers, and what do they look like from surrounding properties?

Data centers vary in size but an average U.S. data center building is roughly the footprint of a large big-box store. Microsoft’s La Porte facility, for example, is a 245,000-square-foot building on 489 acres.

From the outside, a modern data center generally looks like a large, low-profile industrial building. Because the buildings are functional rather than pedestrian-oriented, many jurisdictions now require design standards: articulated facades, varied cladding materials, landscape buffers, earthen berms, screening walls for mechanical equipment, and setbacks from residential property lines to reduce visual impact.

Operators are increasingly investing in more considered architectural treatments — step-backs, varied rooflines, green roofs, and permeable screens.