Location: Shanghai, China.

Architect: gmp Architekten.

China Life Insurance Company has opened its new data centre in Shanghai-Pudong, designed by architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp). The project took six years to complete and comprises 80,000 sq m of gross floor area, with three buildings accommodating offices, a hotel and conference functions around the data centre. The design aims to convey the qualities of trustworthiness, reliability, longevity and customer orientation, as well as the fact that the company uses data processing and state-of-the-art technology. The ensemble is presented as one unit by virtue of a plinth structure which frames the buildings, the entrance plaza and the landscaping. The horizontally structured box-type window façade of white and transparent glass strips links all the building volumes and open spaces, creating a sense of uniformity. The emphasis on the glass envelope with its horizontal stepped bands highlights the technological symbolism, as it resembles the characteristic lines and offsets on the printed circuit boards of computers. The specially designed openings to the courtyards create an atmosphere of openness, transparency and customer accessibility in several directions.

Photo credit: gmp Architekten von Gerkan, Marg und Partner