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.
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.
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.
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.
For the scheme’s development, Mecanoo worked in collaboration with Huasen Architects.
News of the scheme comes months after the world's largest performing arts center opened in Taiwan, designed Mecanoo.
News via: Mecanoo
