March 26, 2002 -- Technology developer MetroNexus has hired Insignia/ESG and Tishman Technologies to renovate its 1.1-million square foot facility at 50 Dey Street in Jersey City, NJ.
Insignia/ESG will serve as property manager and Tishman as construction manager for the multi-million dollar project, designed to transform the building into an advanced data center housing mission-critical data for large corporations and financial services firms.
The renovation will include a new entrance, lobby, security systems, and facade upgrade, as well as a "meet-me room" for interconnections among carriers including Con Edison, AT&T, Verizon and Looking Glass Networks. The facility also will feature an electric substation and $8 million investment in the building's power infrastructure alone.
The project is being engineered by EYP Mission Critical Facilities, designed by Fox & Fowle Architects, and directed by MetroNexus Development Director Paul DeGroot, who previously served as chief technology officer for Exodus Communications.
"By bringing Insignia/ESG, Tishman and EYP to focus on our building we have assembled the 'A' Team of mission critical facility experts from the top firms in the nation," said MetroNexus CEO Alexander Twining. "This expert team can deliver on the aggressive schedules and strict operating requirements of New York City's most demanding customers."
MetroNexus is positioning the new multi-tenant facility to attract New York corporate tenants, and has hired partners with a track record in local telecom infrastructure.
Insignia previously retrofitted two of the city's prominent wired buildings, 111 Eighth Avenue in Manhattan and 470 Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn. The firm manages and leases other major technology buildings nationwide, including One Wilshire in Los Angeles, the Lakeside Technology Center in Chicago, and Atlanta Xchange
"Our customers are all focused on 'business continuity planning' and many are searching for disaster recovery solutions to support their Manhattan operations," said Gregg Popkin, executive director of Insignia/ESG's Property Management Group. "The MetroNexus facility meets the stringent power, fiber and security requirements of our most demanding clients."
Tishman Technologies has completed more than 20 million square feet of specialized telecom and data center space, providing technology solutions for clients including Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, JPMorganChase, Lehman Bros., MetLife and Prudential. Recent New York projects include the 500,000 square foot Reuters Americas/Instinet Headquarters.
"The MetroNexus building is ideally suited for redevelopment into a highly secured, powered and connected mission critical facility," said Rob Blackman, Executive VP of Tishman Technologies.
EYP Mission Critical Facilities Inc. provides analysis, design, and maintenance management/testing of critical facilities. Its clients include Charles Schwab, Citibank, Fidelity Investments, Merrill Lynch and Salomon Smith Barney
MetroNexus, a unit of Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds, owns facilities in Atlanta, Houston and Jersey City. It services Fortune 500 companies seeking the secure solutions to outsourcing their mission critical data center, disaster recovery and web hosting facilities.