Cloud DCS Industrial Park of Data Center

Guangdong, China

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Cloud DCS. Offices, Show Room and Data Center

Cloud DCS Industrial Park of Data Center

Guangdong, China

Firm

Arboit Limited - Design and Architecture

Type

Commercial › Office
Industrial › Factory Power Plant
Landscape + Planning › Playground Urban Green Space Masterplan

STATUS

Concept

SIZE

1,000,000 +

BUDGET

Undisclosed

Photos

Dennis Lo (6)

Cloud DCS Industrial Park of Data Center.

Concept

The spiritual perception of natural landscape is a typical component of Chinese culture. Centuries of monochromatic paintings of landscape, the apotheosis of Chinese classic art, are telling us the story of this deep connection between Chinese sensibility and natural landscape. Nowadays in Cina as a reaction to the uncontrolled developing metropolitan big cities whose architectural design has no sense of identity or aesthetic quality there is a growing desire to rediscover a more authentic way of living in a urban space and to resume the relation towards nature as a truly important aspect. In recent Chinese projects, behind the quest of an alternative way to conceive architecture and urban environment towards a more eco-sustainable way, there is not just the latest green design trend coming form the western world but it is above all the attempt to rediscover important roots. It is as if the generation living in the big metropolis whose grandparents used to live in the villages surrounded by countryside or mountains, frustrated for a life-style with no sense of cultural DNA is actually searching its own soul through a rediscovered affinity with natural environment.
Organic design of this architectural project for a industrial park of data center distance itself form the angular, boxy, typical lines of many of industrial buildings of China but try to create a vision of natural landscape. The site of this project is located within the delta of the river is surrounded by the countryside and seen from a near highway it will appear as a group of clouds merging with the green scenery around it. In the highly symbolic Chinese language clouds are synonym of luck and fortune; the same ideogram of the word “cloud” which translate into 云 (Yún) also means “luck” and “fortune”.

Masterplan of Industrial Park and Landscape.

This industrial park for data centers and offices is conceived to be totally dedicated to the theme of green sustainable energy. Master plan circulation comprehends a car free circulation in between buildings where pollution-fee electric golf cars only are allowed to circulate. Carbon emissions' vehicles, like trucks of employees’ cars, travel on a separate layer to serve each building’s necessities and to connect with the local highway through two security gates. This external service circulation ring is connected with the parking areas of each building and because of very high green fence is sort of concealed from sight as the intent of the landscape design concept is to separate the internal pollution-free area which consist in 90% of the estate surface, from the 10% dedicated to carbon emissions’ vehicles. Buildings are actually located on a caesura position in between the motorcars circulation and the “green” circulation network of alleys which is normal going to be used for the internal circulation of the estate by both employees and visitors. Each of the 5 data center building and the office building enjoy two separate entrances, main entrance is facing the green landscape and include electrical cars parking lot while the back façade is instead facing the carbon emissions ‘ cars parking which is connected with the external road. Both carbon emission car park and road are concealed to the sight by being surrounded by high green fence, as if this section of the master plan is appreciated for the functional aspect but it would be as if it is non-existing in terms of visibility. An electric cars’ parking lot is also located right after the entrance gate once the visitors leave the car in the parking space outside the entrance building. The building at the entrance has multiple functions as it is standing by the side of the high way it works as show room for potential clients as the pearl river delta industrial area is on of the riches and fast growing in China and many new companies are looking for internet services, on the other side this building is also working as reception area; visitors are checked-in before entering the industrial park. Power-station building producing electricity for the data centers is located in the center of the estate to integrate the energy produced by the 3900 solar panels on the roof top of each data center building. Landscape design includes a few artificial lakes to supporting the underground pipes of the cooling system serving the air-conditioning supply for the buildings. Although no one is actually staying in the data centers rooms where racks of servers are located the temperature produced by the working server ends up being so critically hot an air conditioning system must be provided to keep the temperature moderate. These artificial lake also works as part of the aesthetic of the green landscape and to mitigated open air micro-climate especially during the long heated summers typical of Southern China regions. Design of green area includes several artificial hills offering articulated landscape solutions and a generous quantity of trees and bed flowers to render the space in between data centers not a sort of “cut out” areas in between buildings but a real attractive space for employees and visitors to enjoying time and socializing during breaks. The search of a green sustainable value and quality leisure features within the landscape design reflects a new sensibility in conceiving work spaces in China factories. Local government promotes “green projects” in order to bring environment-friendly policy at the center of the politic for new industrial projects. On the other side the quality of the working space is a positive answer to alienation working conditions crises on many factories. Cloud DCS as leader IT industry wants to be ahead not only on a technological level but also in terms of a new social and environment issues-related sensibility .

Architectural concept: Data Center Building.

Data center building is as big as 43 x 146 meters. All the buildings are energy-fed by 78 solar panels located on roof top and are wrapped in a layer of brise-soleil panels avoiding the contact of the sun on the actual building in order to maximize the thermostatic insulation and save energy spent for air-conditioning usage. Although no one is actually staying in the data centers rooms where racks of servers are located the temperature produced by the working server ends up being so critically hot an air conditioning system must be provided to keep the temperature moderate in order not to compromise the work of the machine. A power station is located in the center of the area to eventually compensate supplying energy in case solar panels are not enough. The architecture this building is actually going to be built according to the engineering regulation of the region and the design could not be changed although it is possible to conceal it by building a screen of brise-soleil to project some shadow on the building and to conform its appearance to the rest of the architecture.

Taking in account also the name itself of the company , Cloud DCS, the concept of the architecture is defining these data centers as proper, real clouds. Crossing the skies these clouds would travel transporting knowledge content to every area of the world transported by a pollution-fee stream of winds. The inspiration is also related to the idea of architecture contributing to create landscape vision: clouds merging with the green countryside landscape around; The intention is to reconnect Chinese sensibility with nature by using an organic design to create soft shapes unlike the traditional hard-edges design of industrial estates. Design for industrial building could be the opportunity to reestablish an all-Chinese precious relationship between public and landscape as well as delivering a strong sende of identity. Curved vertical section of brise-soleil layer surrounding the building renders perfectly the concept of the building as a flying cloud. The internal surface of the building is entirely dedicated to the latest technologies of data centers except of a 10% of the surface dedicated to offices and control rooms where a few engineers and technician works to control the correct functioning of the building .

These offices are in the central area of the cloud-building and its position is reflected in to the design of the façade as the within the shape of the cloud an aerodynamic “cut-out” section is protruding from the basic shape of the cloud. This section doesn’t need brise-soleil as it correspond to the engineers’ office and natural light is welcomed. The shape of the section is actually designed to give a sense of movement and dynamism to reflect the spirit of the brand and consistent with the image of the interior .
The facade of the building behind the curved section of the brise-soleil is actually having a small tape window on each floor just to let the a minimum quality of natural light enter the building although because of the brise-soleil no direct sun light is allowed.
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Branding : form Interior Design to Landscape and Architecture
Branding design is a component in most of the projects we do in China. Through our design work the company finds the opportunity to present to its audience strong visual character. This process is important from the marketing point of view as IT industry in china is very competitive given the 700 millions potential users and Cloud DCS is working hard to be successful and therefore needs to be to be visible and recognizable in order to stand out form the crowd. This work is also important by a cultural point of view : “identity” is a new concept associated to a company. Unlike companies who are directly related to masses of costumers through a retail experience , such as fashion brands or supermarkets, IT companies belong to a more technical area of the market as their services are completely abstract. The choice of creating a brand identity for an western IT company would be a normal fact because in that cultural environment celebration of personality is a typical cultural pattern , but it is a step forward for a Chinese agency. Communicating company’s uniqueness and individuality is a novelty if considered within a cultural Chinese back-ground whereas for years society has more believed in the standardization rather than originality. .
The construction of Cloud DCS brand identity has started through the work of interior design of data center head quarter within an existing building in Nansha within Pearl River delta’s industrial area, by the south of Guangdong district. The concept of the interior is “ Flying through the sky” and aim to create a design code for the brand identity both in terms of colors and graphic uniqueness as well as conceptual distinctiveness: design is a celebration of contemporary digital culture as a circulation of information crosses the sky like a free flowing of clouds in the space. Architectural concept of the exterior of data centers buildings relates to the interior design concept as a second chapter of the same book.
Concept of the cloud is still used as these buildings seem to be traveling through the sky to carry their load of information. Ultimately by joining these two design monuments, brand identity of Cloud DCS finds in this overall image a confirmation of its own uniqueness and solidity.

Pictures by Dennis Lo