Fire Protection Design Requirements: Vantage Lighthouse Campus (Stargate), Port Washington, Wisconsin

Meta Description: Fire protection design for Vantage's Lighthouse campus in Port Washington, WI — 902 MW, four data center buildings, NFPA 13 (2019) and NFPA 72 (2019).

Section 1: Project Overview

Vantage Data Centers broke ground in December 2025 on the Lighthouse campus in Port Washington, Wisconsin — a 674-acre development along Interstate 43, approximately 30 miles north of Milwaukee. The project is part of Oracle and OpenAI's Stargate initiative, a $500 billion program targeting 10 gigawatts of AI data center capacity across the United States and internationally.

The Lighthouse campus will include four single-story data centers delivering 902 megawatts of IT capacity across approximately 2.5 million square feet. The $15 billion total investment is being phased: the $8 billion first phase is under construction by a consortium that includes Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, The Weitz Company, Michels Corporation, and a joint venture between Turner Construction and McCarthy Building Companies. Completion of phase one is targeted for 2028.

The facilities are being built to what Vantage describes as a sustainable-by-design standard, incorporating closed-loop cooling systems and a commitment to zero-emission energy capacity. At 902 MW across four buildings on a single campus, Lighthouse is among the largest data center developments currently under construction in the country.

Section 2: Fire Protection Challenges Specific to This Project

The Lighthouse campus presents fire protection design challenges that go well beyond those of a conventional commercial project.

Campus-scale alarm coordination. Four discrete data center buildings sharing generator infrastructure, utility corridors, and site-wide electrical distribution require the fire alarm design to define precisely what signals propagate campus-wide versus what stays building-specific. This is governed by NFPA 72 (2019 edition, as adopted in Wisconsin) Chapter 12, which addresses emergency control function interfaces. Missing this coordination during schematic design creates significant rework during shop drawing review.

Data hall concealed space analysis. Hyperscale data centers commonly use raised-access floor systems for cable management and cooling airflow, as well as overhead cable tray configurations. Each creates concealed spaces that require a deliberate analysis under NFPA 13 (2019 edition). Whether a raised floor cavity qualifies as a combustible concealed space — triggering Section 11.3 sprinkler requirements — must be resolved on the working drawings before submittal to the Wisconsin DSPS, not deferred to the AHJ.

Lithium-ion battery installations. At this scale, lithium-ion UPS systems require hazard analysis under NFPA 855 (Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems), which enters Wisconsin's regulatory framework through the 2021 International Building Code's Chapter 35 referenced standards. Battery room design, ventilation coordination, and suppression system decisions must be resolved before the fire protection design is locked.

Diesel fuel storage. Generator plants serving 902 MW of IT capacity involve substantial quantities of diesel fuel. NFPA 30 (2021 edition, as adopted in Wisconsin) governs flammable and combustible liquid storage. Fuel day tanks and bulk storage configurations must be evaluated against maximum allowable quantities per control area to determine whether Group H occupancy classification is triggered under the 2021 IBC.

Section 3: Required Systems and Applicable Codes

Wisconsin's fire protection plan review is administered by the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS). Per the DSPS Fire Alarm Submittal Guidelines (revised February 2026), the following NFPA editions govern fire protection system design in Wisconsin:

For the data halls at Lighthouse, sprinkler design under NFPA 13 (2019) requires a hazard classification determination based on actual rack density and cable loading. Pre-action sprinkler systems — requiring both detector activation and a supervisory valve signal before water enters the piping — are standard practice in data halls precisely because inadvertent water discharge in a live server environment is a catastrophic event. Electrical rooms, UPS galleries, and battery storage rooms may also require clean agent suppression under NFPA 2001 (2018 edition).

Wisconsin does not directly adopt NFPA 101. Life safety requirements for commercial construction are administered through Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapters SPS 361–366, incorporating the 2021 IBC as the primary building code reference. Occupancy classification under IBC Chapter 3 drives egress and suppression trigger thresholds across the campus. The DSPS requires plan submittal for all fire protection systems on a project of this scale, and fire alarm plans must bear the signature and seal of a Wisconsin-registered Architect, Professional Engineer, or Designer of Engineering Systems.

Section 4: What Designers Need to Think Through

Several design decisions on a project of this complexity carry downstream consequences that must be worked through early.

Pre-action system configuration. The choice between single-interlock and double-interlock pre-action systems in each data hall is a decision that needs documented rationale in the DSPS submittal. Single-interlock systems — requiring only a supervisory signal to flood the piping — provide faster water delivery. Double-interlock systems eliminate the risk of inadvertent discharge but extend the time from alarm to water on the fire. The right answer is not the same for every data hall on a campus of this size, and the AHJ will look for the engineering basis.

Raised-floor concealed space determination. Raised-access floor plenums used for cooling distribution and cable management require a specific evaluation under NFPA 13 (2019) Section 11.3. The combustibility of the floor cavity — driven by the type and loading of cables and containment present — determines whether separate sprinkler heads below the floor are required. This determination must be made on the actual construction documents and confirmed with the DSPS plan reviewer before the design is submitted.

Very early warning fire detection. Air-sampling smoke detection — VESDA or equivalent — is standard practice in hyperscale data halls as a layer above the base NFPA 72 (2019) requirements. It is not mandated by Wisconsin's adopted occupancy classification for Group B buildings, but it is increasingly specified by owners and insurers in environments where a delayed fire response results in irreplaceable equipment loss and extended infrastructure downtime.

Mechanical and electrical coordination. Generator sizing, fuel storage configuration, and UPS battery chemistry decisions by the mechanical and electrical teams directly affect the fire protection design scope. On a campus of this complexity, the fire protection engineer needs to be part of the design coordination process before those systems are finalized.

Section 5: How ProTech CDS Approaches Projects Like This

ProTech CDS provides fire protection design services for hyperscale data center campuses, colocation facilities, and multi-building campus developments. Our process starts with code verification — confirming the specific NFPA editions adopted by the AHJ at the project location rather than assuming. On this project, that means working under NFPA 13 (2019), NFPA 72 (2019), NFPA 2001 (2018), and NFPA 30 (2021) as confirmed by the Wisconsin DSPS.

All designs receive NICET IV review. PE-stamped drawings are available through our contract PE network, licensed in all 50 states — relevant for owners managing multi-state data center portfolios across different AHJ jurisdictions. We deliver on a white-label basis for engineering firms, design-build contractors, and owner-direct engagements. Project intake is at lockin.protechcds.com.

ProTech CDS is the former FirePro Design Co.

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ProTech CDS designs fire protection systems for hyperscale data center campuses and multi-building campus projects. NICET IV reviewed. PE stamps in all 50 states. White-label delivery available. Contact us at lockin.protechcds.com.