arboit interprets internet's industrial culture in cloud DCS office design china

arboit interprets internet’s industrial culture in cloud DCS office design in china
(above: the aim of the project is a figurative celebration of the internet)
all images courtesy of arboit ltd

the digital industry is wildly expanding in china and guangzhou-based cloud DCS (initials of data centers services) is a major player in this industry providing internet services through data centers to the like of alibaba, qq and baidu. hong kong-based design company arboit limited got briefed in late 2013 to design the company’s headquarters inside an existing 20.000 square meter industrial building. the designed needed to include offices, rooms containing thousands of servers’ racks, areas to meet clients and multimedia show rooms introducing company services and envisioning internet culture and history.

the lobby is designed to summarize in one space the vibe of the project and to present the spirit of the brand

the construction of an iconic brand identity was the ultimate goal of this project in order to let the company’s name standing out in a competitive chinese IT market that has generally shown no interest in design, since all existing data centers in the country are mostly aseptic, functional, architectural concrete boxes. because of its abstract nature, internet services rarely got to have a proper brand image. the purpose of this project was to translate into a figurative language, the reality of internet as a truly important agent of change in our life and society.

given the large spaces and high ceilings, the designer took the opportunity to build architecture within a room

the project is located in nansha which is part of guangzhou municipality at the center of the pearl river delta. it is one of china’s fastest growing locations and is bounded to become a world-class seaport and a large-scale technology hub. the main area of the project concerns 1.958 square meters, half of the ground floor area of the 20.440 square meter building. this space includes entrance lobby, offices, meeting rooms and a control room to check the status of the server’s cabinets by technicians, a few pavilions for multimedia installations to introduce the services of the company within a 1050 square meter showroom, a 180 degree projector room, product gallery to exhibit cloud DCS’s accessories, 3D video screens made of plastic balls, interactive video pavilion and two display tables to present architectural models of the next cloud DCS future own industrial parks designed by arboit ltd. the rest of the building is featuring manly rooms for hundreds of thousands of servers’ racks.

gigantic windows overlooking the control room are part of an aerodynamic volume

taking in account the name of the company, cloud DCS, the theme of the project is about the image of a stream of clouds containing knowledge carried by winds and defining in the sky flowing layers of fading tones of blue to portray today’s digital communication. fluidity and dynamism of clouds shaped by winds, is expressed by a layered ceiling 30 meters long sculpture to epitomize digital communications across space and highlight its immaterial and yet powerful nature. this ceiling feature is made of metal profiles painted in seven gradients of blue, covered by barrisol’s stretch fabric back-illuminated by neon lights. the same rarefied artwork defined by the ceiling is reflected on the floor as a gigantic painting printed on the resin, creating the impression of walking on the sky.

the meeting room is articulated by internal partitions upholstered in white leather

in the control room technicians check 24 hours a day the status of the data centers through monitors

the design is characterized by a common theme of movement and are shaped in aerodynamic curves 

small installation dedicated to illustrate the development of cloud DCS

display tables to present the next generation of data centers’ architectural buildings within an industrial park

this gallery is an exhibition space to display the cloud DCS collection of creations

the artwork on the floor highlights the sky-walking theme, at the end of the spiral there’s an interactive screening

hallways in the data center are defined by artworks, colors and graphics that suggest the concept 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: juliana neira | designboom