For about two years, "lit" buildings were the envy of commercial office real estate developers.

These properties, which began springing up across the country as a result of dot-com euphoria, specialize in space for high-tech and telecom firms, which have specific needs when it comes to power supplies, security and the like. The buildings -- often called "server farms" and "telco hotels" -- are able to handle heavy loads per square foot, routinely have back-up generators on-site, and include extensive security measures.

But just as dot-com stocks fell out of favor and as telecom companies have significantly slowed their expansion, wired buildings have turned into expensive, hard-to-lease white elephants.

Down in Houston, Texas, however, the pummeling delivered by Tropical Storm Allison may have once again elevated the status of these tech-friendly buildings.

Consumers and companies throughout the country saw the effects of the latest Gulf Coast storm, where some areas saw more than 3 feet of rain. For example, power outages affected the PULSE electronic funds transfer network, disrupting service to an estimated 76,000 ATMs in 22 states.

Data and call centers were shut down -- some because employees could not get to work, and others because of power and telephone interruptions, not to mention flooding in office buildings.

"The loss of life and the property damage estimated to be in excess of $1 billion caused by the flood was tragic, but many of the service disruptions endured by telecommunications and other technology companies is evidence that a property must have more systems in place to deal with such a deluge," said Jud Pankey, president of Dallas-based WiredZone. "Because our buildings stress redundancy and security, we have measures in place to ensure uninterrupted service -- no power failures, no water infiltration to damage sensitive equipment."

WiredZone owns technology centers in Houston, Dallas, Seattle and Tulsa. These buildings have features such as redundant power supply and HVAC systems, back-up generators and batteries, and multiple fiber and phone service providers.

At the company's Houston property, tenants and their property were kept dry by a system of high-volume pumps and a sub-structure de-watering system. The nearly 570,000-square-foot building is surrounded by 18 pumps, including four with a capacity of 1,800 gallons per minute. Even the building's ground floor, which is below grade, remained dry.

So while other Houston office buildings remain closed until major repairs can be made, WiredZone is fielding calls from potential tenants.

"We've gotten several calls from tech companies affected by the flood who are seeking secure, and dry, temporary space. I expect some of those could become permanent tenants once they know they'll have peace of mind that another disaster like this won't affect them at WiredZone," said Andrew Spence, vice president at Cushman Realty Corp. in Houston and WiredZone's leasing agent.

Just as entrepreneurial companies are reselling government missile silos as secure commercial sites, so might other wired buildings learn a new marketing twist from Houston's misfortune.

For more articles by Lesley Hensell, please press here.

Published: June 14, 2001

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Lesley Hensell covers commercial real estate and financial issues for Realty Times. Based outside of Dallas, Lesley works with high-tech and real estate clients as an independent marketing and public relations consultant. She also writes for several publications, including the Dallas Morning News. E-mail Lesley at: lhensell@earthlink.net