Confidential Cloud Complex Data Centre

Part of a wider Cloud Complex development, this future-ready, environmentally responsive, and visually distinctive project delivers a 9,500-square-metre state-of-the-art data centre on a prominent 20,000-square-metre site. Located on the northern gateway of the campus, the building is highly visible from surrounding highways, cycle routes, and pedestrian paths, making it a key visual marker for the wider industrial area.

Responding to its visibility and scale, the architectural approach moves beyond the conventional anonymity of data centres. The design centres on a bespoke, expressive façade that communicates the building’s function while remaining abstract and contextual. Drawing inspiration from the nature of “data” itself — its movement, connectivity, and cloud-based systems — the team explored algorithmic art, network mapping, and the relationships between digital nodes. This research informed a layered façade composed of a modular mesh of networking lines, overlaid at three distinct scales. The resulting geometry reflects the flow and exchange of data, creating a recognisable yet playful identity that brings character and clarity to the building’s purpose.

Integrated lighting elements positioned behind the façade enhance this pattern after dark, animating the elevation and reinforcing its role as a gateway building. The primary entrance is located on the northern façade, while the elevation facing the access street is designed as a living green wall, creating a welcoming arrival experience despite being set back from the main road.

Careful consideration has been given to building height and rooftop plant screening, including views from the adjacent elevated highway. Landscape design plays a central role in enhancing site biodiversity, with meadow planting, bird and bat boxes, insect habitats, and a riverbank swallow nesting wall incorporated throughout. Permeable hardstanding materials and rooftop rainwater harvesting further support sustainable site performance.