Paris-based studio Silvio d’Ascia Architecture has completes a new data processing centre for the Bank of Shanghai, its second such complex in the city.
July 30th, 2014
Architects Statement:
The new project, conceived in partnership with AREP and Shanghai-based ECADI, is located in the Zhangjiang Innovation Park, situated about 21 km from Pudong. Imagined as a sort of « digital fortress », the complex includes roughly 12,500 m² of data server rooms, with these spaces forming the foundation upon which rest other programmatic zones, such as offices, customer service centres, restaurants, and conference centres.
Explains d’Ascia: “There is this new reality of a data centre. We talk a lot about ‘what is the cloud? What is a data centre?’ Our society is presented with this new idea of a data centre and we are still exploring what such a centre could really mean as a building type. For that reason, we are interested in working on more projects that deal with this new emerging typology. For the moment a lot of these kind of buildings are done without the architects’ help and we would like to change this current way of thinking. The idea was to give a certain solidity to the image of the bank; we wanted the centre to reflect the strength of the financial institution housed within its walls.”
The project’s conclusion comes on the heels of the studio’s recent data processing centre for the Shanghai Futures Exchange. Both projects came about as the result of winning competition bids and continue the studio’s foray into highly-technical buildings for the digital age. “I truly believe this sort of building, the data centre, is the future. Every company will need one,” notes d’Ascia.
The project centres on the theme of a ‘high-tech fortress’, giving the Bank of Shanghai an image of strength and stability. Such a strength is reinforced through the use of a uniform foundation for the complex, which also happen to house the data centre facilities. The remainder of the building program elements are located on, around, or beside this foundation.
To amplify the notion of a uniform foundation, the complex makes use of local Shanghai granite as a facade treatment. This vernacular stone, with its calm grey tint, is impressively set off against the glass and aluminium brise-soleil system that envelops the central office tower.
Photography: Yves Chan You
yveschanyou.com
Silvio d’Ascia
dascia.com
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Woven Image’s iPad app was a big winner at the 2011 Mobile Awards, announced last week.
Experts from all over the world will be joining in the debate to establish some of the hottest talents in the Australian design industry. Industrial design experts from New York, Seattle, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Japan will join forces with Australian practitioners in the final round assessment of the Australian Design Awards 2010. “We are very […]
Technē Architecture + Interior Design brings L’Oréal’s Australian flagship training academy firmly into the modern (and digital) age. We asked Technē interior designer Kate Archibald about how the design succeeds in educating and inspiring its trainees.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
We spoke with George Fleck, Vice President and Global Brand Leader of W Hotels, about the intermingling of hotel and hospitality design trends.
An entry by MuseLAB, in The Retail Space in the 2024 INDE.Awards, takes shoppers to another planet where diamonds and great interior design make a lasting impression.