Pionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects

Architects: Albert France-Lanord Architects
Location:Stockholm, Sweden
Program: Datacenter
Collaborators: Frida Öster and Jonatan Blomgren
Geology Consultant: Geosigma AB
Construction: Albert France-Lanord Architects
Client: Bahnhof AB
Construction Area: 1,200 sqm
Project year: 2008
Photographs: Åke E:son Lindman
The project takes place in a former 1200 square meter anti-atomic shelter. An amazing location 30 meters down under the granite rocks of the Vita Berg Park in Stockholm. The client is an internet provider and the rock shelter hosts server halls and offices. The starting point of the project was to consider the rock as a living organism. The humans try to acclimate themselves to this foreign world and bring the ‘best’ elements from earth: light, plants, water and technology. We created strong contrasts between rooms where the rock dominates and where the human being is a stranger against rooms where the human being took over totally.
The choice of lightning has been very challenging. We tried to bring as much variation as possible. Otherwise it is very easy to loose the feeling of time in an enclosed space.
Our references come straight from science fiction films, mostly ‘Silent Running’ and a bunch of Bond films with Ken Adams set design.
One can describe the process in five different phases:
-planning
-destruction of the former office and blowing up the rock to create extra space.
-reinforce the cave. concrete work.
-technical installations. electrical.
-glass and steel work. paint and furnishing.
The client had a strong vision from the first brief and the result is only possible because of their persistence, the absence of compromise and great communication/ understanding between all parts under the process.
It has been very exciting to work with a space which at first didn’t offer one square angle: the rock. The main room is not a traditional space limited by surfaces but defined by the emptiness inside a mass.
- plans
- section 01
- section 02
- section 03





































































This is pretty awesome. Even more awesome (for me) is that I get to be the first person here to say: “Welcome to my underground lair.”
It looks like it was inspired in Batman´s cave!!! Pretty cool
What function do the two large engines serve? Do they power the cooing system for the servers… or just the A/C?
Dr No would be proud! great touches
“the absence of compromise” — I wonder what that feels like?
I think we’ve found the perfect location for the next Bond movie.
Sorry, roadkill… I noticed your comment too late. You’re right, of course.
I think I see agent 007 sneaking around somewhere…
The engines power electric generators in case of electric outages — standard high-end data center fare.
Also interesting to notice that much of the Stockholm underground runs inside similar caves blasted out of the solid granite.
As cool as this place is, I’m not sure how nice it would be to actually live there. It’s essentially a massive, all-consuming conversation piece. At a certain point, good homes recede to the background. I want to be able to bask in the beauty of my house when I feel like it, but also peacefully ignore its presence when I want to. Living in a house like that, one will always have the feeling of being an actor on a movie set. It’s cool for cocktail parties, for sure. But eventually I think one tires of the cinematic intensity here.
http://www.contemporaryartdaily.com
I am afraid you are very confused, this is NOT a house.
me recuerda demasiado el refugio de Lex Luthor en las montañas, en una de las clásicas Superman pero no recuerdo exactamente cual de todas.
Wow, very interesting. Also have some cool caves in the Philippines, please check out my travel blog…
@contemporary Art…
Have you realised that you are not suppose to live there?
nice site makes nice design
Cool, though not the first data center in a used nuclear bunker. (www.thebunker.net has been doing that for a decade.) Places like that can obviously provide good physical security, and usually have good redundant power grid connections, and may have good resources for cooling if there’s not too much equipment for the amount of floor space.
where’s the originality, dear architect?
This is sweet. I wish it was designed for the public though…perhaps a restaurant or bar or club or museum. Oh well.
Interessante! Mas parece com a Batcaversa e passa muita tranquilidade e segurança…
Definition of irony: Wikileaks apparently knows almost everything, expect about a little thing called radon. Good luck to those workers in that huge cave full of granite and, therefore, granite… Take good care of your health. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radon
So this is not a good project, at all. Would a project full of asbestos be a good project nowadays knowing its risks?
8:56 AM Sep 15th
Reading: "Pionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects | ArchDaily"( http://twitthis.com/xxbkrv )
8:23 AM Sep 22nd
La versión real de una base para malos de James Bond: http://bit.ly/ar8zG2 Ahi se guardan los servidores de Wikileaks. via @kritik4l
12:28 PM Oct 7th
http://bit.ly/b4peVa Pionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects | ArchDaily Architects: Albert France-Lanord Architects L..
12:26 PM Nov 3rd
ストックホルムにあるウィキリークスのデータセンター内部の画像集を見つけた。
http://www.archdaily.com/9257/pionen-–-white-mountain-albert-france-lanord-architects/
11:46 PM Dec 1st
Also, how cool is it that wikileaks is hosted by the company which owns this datacentre http://bit.ly/eJeQ9M Seems somewhat appropriate.
12:25 AM Dec 2nd
Swedish ISP/Datacenter built into an old atomic shelter. Very cool. http://is.gd/i4jKi
4:01 PM Dec 3rd
スウェーデンの核シェルターに圧倒される…..。映画のセットのようだけど本物なのね。 http://www.archdaily.com/9257/pionen-%E2%80%93-white-mountain-albert-france-lanord-architects/
6:59 PM Dec 3rd
@eapesteguia http://www.archdaily.com/9257/pionen-%E2%80%93-white-mountain-albert-france-lanord-architects/ ahí hay bocha de fotos buenas
3:16 PM Dec 10th
datacentre hosting wikileaks looks frickin' amazing http://bit.ly/2HprXp just needs some sharks with frickin' laser beams
3:21 PM Dec 10th
RT @tshannon: datacentre hosting wikileaks looks frickin' amazing http://bit.ly/2HprXp just needs some sharks with frickin' laser beams
4:40 PM Dec 10th
@AlexanderNL Koel (…) Zweeds datacenter #bahnhof (http://bit.ly/f1fIwj) waar #wikileaks wordt gehost: http://bit.ly/2HprXp
4:48 PM Dec 10th
RT @tshannon: datacentre hosting wikileaks looks frickin' amazing http://bit.ly/2HprXp just needs some sharks with frickin' laser beams
7:30 PM Dec 10th
Así con tener publicadas las oficinas de Wikileaks hace 2 años: http://bit.ly/caPAxL
7:30 PM Dec 10th
RT @flavin: :O las oficinas de wikileaks habían sido publicadas en archdaily :O http://t.co/xB4LKlv
7:31 PM Dec 10th
RT @ArchDaily: Just noticed we featured #wikileaks headquarters in Sweden 2 years ago, check the sections http://archdai.ly/fi9XRm
7:32 PM Dec 10th
위키리크스 헤드쿼터. 좀 이상한 애들 같기는 하다..http://archdai.ly/fi9XRm
7:32 PM Dec 10th
RT @ArchDaily: Just noticed we featured #wikileaks headquarters in Sweden 2 years ago, check the sections http://archdai.ly/fi9XRm
7:33 PM Dec 10th
RT @ArchDaily: Just noticed we featured #wikileaks headquarters in Sweden 2 years ago, check the sections http://archdai.ly/fi9XRm
7:34 PM Dec 10th
RT @ArchDaily: Just noticed we featured #wikileaks headquarters in Sweden 2 years ago, check the sections http://archdai.ly/fi9XRm
7:38 PM Dec 10th
RT @ArchDaily: Just noticed we featured #wikileaks headquarters in Sweden 2 years ago, check the sections http://archdai.ly/fi9XRm
7:41 PM Dec 10th
WIKILEAKS HEADQUARTERS IN FRANCE http://bit.ly/eJeQ9M
7:46 PM Dec 10th
RT @ArchDaily: #wikileaks headquarters in Sweden http://archdai.ly/fi9XRm
7:52 PM Dec 10th
where wikileaks is currently hosted. surreal. http://bit.ly/ezy3fe
7:54 PM Dec 10th
On dirait un plateau de James Bond: Pionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects | ArchDaily http://t.co/GvJcMCg #architecture
7:54 PM Dec 10th
RT @ArchDaily: Just noticed we featured #wikileaks headquarters in Sweden 2 years ago, check the sections http://archdai.ly/fi9XRm
8:06 PM Dec 10th
Wow! es verdad: Estas son las oficinas de Wikileaks #Wikileaks http://bit.ly/f74Sxi
8:26 PM Dec 10th
WikiLeaks HQ in Stockholm – http://bit.ly/eJeQ9M
8:36 PM Dec 10th
RT @giulianop: Wow! es verdad: Estas son las oficinas de Wikileaks #Wikileaks http://bit.ly/f74Sxi / en serio?? no dice en ningún lado :P
8:46 PM Dec 10th
¿conoces donde se esconden los más íntimos secretos de #wikileaks ?
aquí encontramos las oficinas…http://bit.ly/f74Sxi
10:06 PM Dec 10th
RT @flavin: :O las oficinas de wikileaks habían sido publicadas en archdaily :O http://t.co/xB4LKlv
10:21 PM Dec 10th
Cuando tenga un proyecto de conquista mundial tipo mad scientist, quiero tener las oficinas de wikileaks http://bit.ly/en2tYU
11:27 PM Dec 10th
RT @ArchDaily: Just noticed we featured #wikileaks headquarters in Sweden 2 years ago, check the sections http://archdai.ly/fi9XRm
7:36 PM Dec 11th
RT @ArchDaily: Just noticed we featured #wikileaks headquarters in Sweden 2 years ago, check the sections http://archdai.ly/fi9XRm
11:47 PM Dec 11th
@GertonKnipping Niet van WL zelf: Koel (…) Zweeds datacenter #bahnhof (http://bit.ly/f1fIwj) waar WL wordt gehost: http://bit.ly/2HprXp
7:29 AM Dec 13th
RT @ArchDaily: Just noticed we featured #wikileaks headquarters in Sweden 2 years ago, check the sections http://archdai.ly/fi9XRm
8:12 PM Dec 14th
I want to go to the future! http://t.co/S8UPNDl via @archdaily
4:37 PM Jan 20th
@rpavez http://t.co/xB4LKlv
5:57 PM Apr 12th
I hate myself for loving this Swedish datacenter porn: http://bit.ly/hQM6NJ
5:05 PM May 30th
The world’s most super-designed data center http://bit.ly/ar8zG2 and http://bit.ly/Tpqb
3:31 AM Jun 30th
Like if James Bond ran an ISP!
Pionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects | ArchDaily http://t.co/bjTp5yD via @archdaily
11:16 PM Feb 1st
This underground data center remodel shows the potential to make underground labs engaging and interesting: http://t.co/4Vgsgv64