Data Center Architects Reimagine Facilities as Urban Assets. 9 Min Read. Gensler’s rendering of Menlo Digital’s Thistle Data Center Campus, a hyperscale data center under construction in Phoenix, Ariz.Gensler. Data centers are no longer judged only by power density, resilience, and network connectivity. Increasingly, they are evaluated by how they look and how well they fit into their communities.. With most municipalities still zoning them under generic industrial or commercial categories, permitting gaps have fueled concern about the spread of anonymous, windowless boxes. In response, operators and developers are now treating architecture as a strategic asset, designing facilities that blend into mixed-use districts through more refined fa\u00e7ades, improved landscaping, and context-sensitive site planning.. Peter Skae, managing director of technical services at JLL, told Data Center Knowledge that for large operators in particular, the data center campus is becoming a visible expression of brand \u2013 and a tool for attracting and retaining scarce technical talent.. To avoid the \u201cugly industrial box,\u201d owners and architects are changing the building, not just its wrapper: step-backs and cantilevers break up massing, while varied rooflines and permeable screens conceal MEP systems without starving them of airflow. \u201cThey are strategic with geometric designs to create visual interest in the design,\u201d Skae said. \u201cThis also requires being thoughtful with the fa\u00e7ade and material selection.\u201d. Related:Heavy Compute: AI Data Centers Have a Weight Problem. Hyperscale campuses are often sited in remote locations. However, Skae predicts that inference workloads, which benefit from proximity to users and networks, will shift more capacity toward urban districts. \u201cWe expect the major technologies to use this as an opportunity to ensure the facility is a proper reflection of their corporate statement, commitment to sustainability, and the environment,\u201d he noted.. Winning Community Support Through Design. Gensler design director Geoffrey Diamond told Data Center Knowledge that the best way to build public support is to show people something beautiful \u2013 something they can imagine not just tolerating in their community, but wanting as part of it.. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen increased competition in the marketplace,\u201d Diamond said. \u201cIt used to really be the hyperscalers \u2026 building facilities for themselves. The new trend that we\u2019re seeing is a lot of developers getting into the game.\u201d. That shift, he observed, is driving a new focus on architectural differentiation.. Gensler’s critical infrastructure designs include Wonder Valley Data Center Park, a campus expected to span nearly 8,000 acres in Alberta, Canada. (Image: Gensler). \u201cIf you\u2019re not building something for yourself, you must go further,\u201d Diamond said. \u201cYou must do better if you\u2019re going to woo tenants.\u201d. From an architectural standpoint, Diamond sees unusually open creative ground. \u201cThe word that first comes to my mind is limitless,\u201d he explained. \u201cYou\u2019re starting with a dumb box, which for a lot of architects is actually kind of the dream.\u201d. Related:Retrofits vs. Rebuilds: Approaches to Adapting Legacy Data Centers for AI. In some projects, Gensler has introduced conventional architectural cues to help large facilities blend into office and mixed-use environments. \u201cWe took advantage of the corridor that surrounded the data hall and basically fenestrated the whole thing like we would have with an office building,\u201d he said.. Cost remains a central concern, but Diamond argued that data center economics create room for architectural investment. \u201cData centers are incredibly expensive,\u201d he said. \u201cThe wrapper on it, the architecture, is a rounding error.\u201d He added that simple, modular forms make it possible to introduce pattern, texture, and higher-quality material with limited impact on total capex.. Case Study: A Public-Facing Data Center. For Luis Ricardo, co-founder of architecture firm llLab, the Spark 761 data center project in Beijing offered an opportunity to rethink how a facility interacts with its environment \u2013 both contributing to the streetscape and welcoming the public inside. The commission began with an unusual client mindset and a site outside Beijing\u2019s conventional architectural spotlight, in the city\u2019s arts district.. Related:Data Center Developers Bring Biodiversity to Life in Site Selection. Spark 761 was llLab\u2019s first data center project, a fact Ricardo said shaped the firm\u2019s design approach. That inexperience became an advantage; the team deliberately avoided benchmarking against existing data center architecture. \u201cWe didn\u2019t like any existing data centers \u2013 we didn\u2019t find any good examples,\u201d Ricardo explained. \u201cWe took direct data center references off the table, because we didn\u2019t believe a warehouse or a shell was the correct way.\u201d. For Ricardo, the prevailing model \u2013 large, sealed technical buildings dressed with decorative fa\u00e7ades \u2013 fails to acknowledge the public presence data centers increasingly occupy. \u201cIt\u2019s not usually something that lives with the city,\u201d he explained.. Crucially, the firm was involved early, before technical layouts and massing were locked in. \u201cMost data centers are already decided, and then you just make it look like something,” he noted. \u201cBut here, we could ask what it could be \u2013 not just a box of servers, but what is the importance of it?\u201d That broader framing met the public debate head-on. \u201cWe received a lot of criticism for being involved in this kind of project, because data centers are targets for not being sustainable,\u201d he said. \u201cBut they\u2019re going to be done anyway, and more than ever now. We need to rethink how to live better with them.\u201d. Balancing technical efficiency and financial discipline with civic value led to Spark 761\u2019s most distinctive feature: public access. The building combines the data center with exhibition areas, coworking space, and conference facilities. \u201cThe first question that we start to ask is, why can\u2019t people enter into the data center?\u201d he said. \u201cWe have security here, too, but it\u2019s split systems, so people can start to live a little bit inside, as well.\u201d. Formally, the project draws on high-tech and infrastructural precedents \u2013 including the Lloyd\u2019s Building in London and the Pompidou Center in Paris \u2013 rather than data center typologies. Translating exposed systems into architecture required tight coordination with engineers. \u201cIf you want the hardware outside, you really have a lot of work to make it correctly and fit all the functions inside,\u201d Ricardo noted.. The Spark 761 building aimed to translate exposed systems into architecture. (Image: llLab). The surrounding arts district reinforced this direction as the architects investigated how digital media arts could empower the building and the city. The fa\u00e7ade becomes an interface between the building and the city. \u201cIt\u2019s just points of light,\u201d he said of the changing LED field suspended in front of the mechanical systems. \u201cYou feel outside what\u2019s going on in terms of the data flow inside.\u201d. The Spark 761 building features an LED field suspended in front of the mechanical systems. (Image: llLab). The Spark 761 building within its urban context. (Image: llLab). Ultimately, the project taught the firm how creative freedom can flow from inexperience. \u201cWhen you do something completely new, without so much knowledge, you are more open to exploring,\u201d he said.. Going Green(er) by Design. The large footprints of data centers make them ideal candidates for comprehensive stormwater systems that double as attractive landscape features. Skae noted that landscape architecture and site integration are critical to avoiding the \u201cwindowless box\u201d label.. \u201cProperly designed and integrated green roofs can be factored into the design and generally work well because of the flat roofs,\u201d he said. With proper planning, they can reduce cooling loads and buffer temperature fluctuations. However, structural challenges \u2013 especially roof loading \u2013 must be addressed.. Strategically placed vertical greening and living walls can further add aesthetic and cooling benefits. \u201cThe key is early integration of the landscape and environmental designs into the architectural vision for the campus,\u201d Skae said.. Equinix’s PA10 data center in Saint-Denis, France, features a green roof and rooftop greenhouse. (Image: Equinix). Will \u201cStarchitects\u201d Take On Data Centers?. In 2013, acclaimed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, in partnership with DMP, designed the NAVER Data Center Gak in Chuncheon, South Korea, reimagining what a data facility can be by integrating the building with its natural environment. Rather than a windowless industrial building, the facility channels cool air from nearby Mount Gubong through the structure, aiding natural cooling and reducing reliance on mechanical systems.. An aerial view of the NAVER Data Center Gak in Chuncheon. (Image: Naver Corp.). Could an epoch-making data center designed by a world-class designer up the ante soon? \u201cThe involvement of star architects seems almost inevitable,\u201d Skae stressed. \u201cThese architects are often looking for a challenge that allows them to push material and technical boundaries.\u201d. Diamond, however, sees the market as early in its architectural evolution. \u201cWe\u2019re early days, and the name of the game is speed to market,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to make up for capacity that is growing faster than we can even think about how to solve for that growth.\u201d That reality makes it unlikely that globally recognized \u201cstarchitect\u201d firms will move aggressively into data center design in the near term.. \u201cAre we going to see any of those black cape firms doing one in the next 12 months or 24 months? Probably not,\u201d Diamond said. \u201cEverybody right now is so laser-focused on \u2018get it up and running\u2019 and \u2018get it right.\u2019\u201d. The Next Frontier: Urban Integration. Over time, though, Diamond expects design sensibility to move to the fore \u2013 and beyond fa\u00e7ade treatments. He believes the next frontier is deeper integration into dense urban environments. \u201cThat is step No. 1 \u2013 somebody bothered to give a damn,\u201d he said. \u201cAll somebody has to do is stand up and say, \u2018I actually care how this thing looks.\u2019\u201d. Gensler is currently working on an urban data center project in the Northeast corridor that rethinks how large facilities occupy valuable city sites. \u201cWhat we ended up with was a layer of parking on the ground floor and the data center lifted up above that,\u201d Diamond said. \u201cWe were able to take a third of the site and give it back to the city as a public urban plaza.\u201d. Looking ahead, he said he believes shifts in backup strategies \u2013 from diesel generator fleets toward grid-interactive batteries and other alternatives \u2013 urban siting may become more viable. \u201cAs we start to move away from generator-based backups toward battery storage systems, it gets more attractive for data centers to be located closer to our city centers,\u201d he noted. \u201cFrom a latency standpoint, that\u2019s going to become increasingly important.\u201d. About the Author<\/p>\n
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