Kolos Data Center

Designed while a part of HDR Inc.

RESPONSIBILITES

I worked directly with the design directors to iterate massing and overall site strategy for the project. I developed the 3D models for the fabrication and to be sent out to visualization companies to produce the renderings, and developed the two repeating modules themselves with Diego Samuel and Kevin LeMans to hold prefab server units and provide ample ventilation, access, and room for expansion. I was primarily responsible for the fabrication of the physical model.

DESCRIPTION

Kolos Data Center is designed to take advantage of Norway's competitive green energy, cool climate and large technical workforce, as well as access to international high-performance fiber.

Responsive to its site on a fjord surrounded by mountains and integrated into the natural beauty of its environment, the design takes cues from the spectacular landforms of alluvial fans, mountains, and glaciers that define the site. Organized along a central spine, the building forms are arranged to mimic a glacier's movement as it displaces swaths of land.  At the base, the spine creates a collision of landforms reinterpreted to become modular data halls that are secure, scalable, and connected.

At the terminus on the water, the central spine emerges as a public element clad in copper, a reference to the area's copper mining history. This architectural gesture articulates the entrance to the data center while acting as a gateway to the public waterfront promenade –– a physical expression of the company's commitment to the community. 

The massive climate-cooled facility, powered by Norway's abundant hydropower, has the potential to scale beyond 1,000 megawatts of computing power, servicing the rapidly growing global data market. High-speed traffic to continental Europe and as far off as the United States' East Coast could be routed from the Kolos node through high performance fiber in neighboring Sweden.

Within 25 kilometers of the planned site is a huge amount of excess clean hydropower, far more than any data center location in the world, allowing the data center to scale up to two gigawatts of consumable renewable power.

LOCATION

Ballangen, Norway

SCOPE

Data Center

TEAM

Brian Kowalchuk, Kevin LeMans, Ryan Oeckinghaus, Richard Prakopcyk, Diego Samuel, Tom Smith

AWARDS

A+ Awards, Jury Winner (2018) - Commercial Unbuilt - Architizer

Design Awards, Merit Award (2017) - Unbuilt Category - American Institute of Architects, New Jersey Chapter

PRESS