Digital Beacon

Infrastructural facilities are the functional heart of modern cities. Although they are usually concealed, these buildings are essential for urban daily life. When visible, they have the potential of being a symbol of the technological achievements of our time. The aqueduct was a symbol of the development of the Roman Empire, and broadcast antennas have become icons in city skylines. Likewise, data centers are relatively new infrastructural facilities that can substantially contribute to a city’s identity. 

For the nowadays city, not only the external appearance of residential and office buildings, the landscape of its public spaces is of the essence, but also the design of public infrastructure facilities that create comfortable conditions for the life of its citizens. Specialized buildings of data centers are facilities of complex engineering systems that make it possible to organize safe and uninterrupted operation of server and network equipment and connect subscribers to the World Information Network. Modern architects believe that data centers, which are relatively new infrastructure facilities, can make a significant contribution to the image and identity of the city.

Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo has revealed the design of the upcoming hyperscale colocation data center in Western Shenzhen, China.

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Materials provided by Mecanoo Architecten