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Here’s when that new, crazy, cool-looking building next to I-4 in Eatonville is set to open

Building can be found along border to Winter Park

The HostDime building is being built along Wymore Road, right next to Interstate 4 in Orange County. (Anthony Talcott, Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Drivers along Interstate 4 might have noticed a strange-looking orange building on the side of the highway in recent years.

It stands out from the surrounding area due to its colorful paint and unique architecture. But what is it doing there?

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The construction site can be found in Eatonville along the border to Winter Park, though passersby might notice that the building is nearly complete.

Tarps fencing the property read that the building is the “Future Home of HostDime Flagship Data Center and Corporate HQ.”

The fence around the building says that it's the future home of HostDime's flagship data center. (Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

HostDime is a Florida-based company that provides data storage to customers, and its CEO — Manny Vivar — told News 6 that the new building is expected to help the company expand its operations after outgrowing its previous center in Orlando.

While the company has built other data centers abroad, this one is supposed to be the main headquarters.

According to Vivar, the building — dubbed “Supernova” — spans 100,000 square feet and seven stories, including a terrace on top.

The first three levels of the building are set to host data servers, and the top four floors will be comprised of office space for the company, Vivar explained.

The flagship data center features seven stories: three for its data servers, and the remaining four for company office space. (Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

In addition, HostDime received permission from the county to build a new roadway, which will be made available to the public after its completion.

“We’re paying the cost to build that road, but once it’s completed, we’re going to hand over public use to it to Orange County,” Vivar said. “And then in exchange for that, we got to name the road, so we decided to name the road ‘Innovative Place.’ Our address is going to be: 1 Innovative Place.”

The company decided to build the data center next to the highway to garner more attention — which is the same reason it went with the crazy look.

“We wanted to make sure to build a very iconic design for the facility, and if you look at the building, it’s kind of spaceship-looking,” Vivar said.

"Supernova" stands out from the surrounding area along Interstate 4 in Eatonville. (Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

Construction on the site has been a challenge, though.

It began before the COVID-19 pandemic, but after lockdowns were introduced, labor shortages and supply chain issues sparked problems for the company.

Top-down view of a reception area at another multi-level HostDime facility in Colombia (HostDime)

“The original budget of this facility was about $40 million, and we can see what the final price will be — $58 million — so it’s pretty staggering,” Vivar told News 6.

And after connecting to the nearby water main, HostDime realized that the water pressure wasn’t high enough to get water to the seventh floor. As a result, the business had to again push back its opening date, which was originally targeting earlier this summer.

Model of the soon-to-be finished HostDime building shown off in a promotional video by the company (HostDime)

However, the building is close to completion.

According to Vivar, construction is about 91% finished, and HostDime is planning to officially open the business sometime in Q1 of 2025.

After it’s finished, Vivar said he would be interested in hosting school tours on the building’s first floor and tech conferences (up to 300 people) on the top-level terrace.

Upper floor at a similar HostDime facility in Colombia, as seen in a promotional video for the company (HostDime)

“We’re doing a lot of little community things like that,” he said. “And I call it, ‘Hospitality means digital infrastructure.’”

The company’s website also says that the facility will feature a game room, fitness gym and two-story “floating” sports court for staff and clients.

A side view of the HostDime facility as seen from East Kennedy Boulevard (Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

Aside from that, Vivar said that Orlando doesn’t have any other data centers, meaning that HostDime offers a unique service within the area.

“A lot of the businesses and people who need to purchase data storage would house it out of the state,” he said. “So I think that’s one of the things we’re very passionate and purposeful about our efforts in serving the market. So we’re excited to bring localization of the public cloud — and through a public data center — to Orlando.”

Vivar told News 6 that the company plans to hold a grand opening ceremony in Q2 of 2025 after the business officially opens to the public.

In the meantime, prospective clients can find more information on HostDime’s services and pricing by clicking here.


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