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Mecanoo has unveiled their design for the Qianhai Data Center in Shenzhen, China, from which they received second prize in an international design competition. The 63,000-square-meter scheme, imagined as an urban beacon, consists of an opaque tower atop an open plinth with offices and support spaces.
The 113-meter-tall “digital lighthouse” is to be located within the 15-square-kilometer Qianhai Free Development Zone, where it will mark the arrival to the district and symbolize its innovative ambition.
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The insulated tower, containing a bounty of data racks, is clad with a series of 3.2m x 1.8m concrete panels, each with a grid of 15 x 12 “pixels.” By day the opaque façade “will bear the images of clouds in the style of a traditional Chinese painting” while at night, it will come alive as a dynamic digital display. The daytime cloud images are formed by protruding concrete elements, while light sources in the center of the panels and around the edges form a light source.
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The plinth upon which the data tower sits opens up towards its surroundings, offering a “pleasant, green working environment.” The office areas, spread a double-height operational center hall, open out through glazed facades, giving works a direct view onto shifting terrace landscapes.
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Accompanying the landscaped terraces are “pocket” terraces to provide access to planted outdoor areas, thus giving visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in nature within Qianhai’s dense commercial district.
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For the scheme’s development, Mecanoo worked in collaboration with Huasen Architects.
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News of the scheme comes months after the world's largest performing arts center opened in Taiwan, designed Mecanoo.
News via: Mecanoo