With the surging demand for space to store databases, servers and other technological hardware, architectural practice is now seeking a new balance between aesthetics and functionality. Columbia University architecture students in the study project, “Necessary Buildings for the New Economy” recently toured the new Intergate.Manhattan high-rise data center at 375 Pearl Street in Lower Manhattan. It’s a retrofit of the Verizon building downtown and is the largest high-rise data center in the world, with over one million square feet of space. On the tour, the managing director of Sabey said, “The Internet economy is creating a new form of architecture that is designed to be comfortable for computer equipment. For example, people love architecture with glass and windows. But windows create heat, and equipment doesn’t like heat. That’s why data centers usually don’t have windows.” Kara Anderson, Sabey’s in-house director of architecture also added, “Nonetheless, we design our lobbies and reception areas to make… Read More
