Old Street Data Centre
Location
Old Street, London
Role
Prototyping & Computational Design
Client
East London Tech City
Intro
The Old Street Archive is a speculative data centre in London's "Silicon Roundabout," featuring a performative façade that channels wind for energy-efficient evaporative cooling of servers. The hybrid archive mediates between human and non-human users.
Process
Wind simulations informed the building’s massing and the design of wind-catching panels. Prototypes were produced using vacuum-formed fibreglass and carbon fibre, combining aerodynamic efficiency with a distinctive visual identity.
Goal
To address the environmental impact of data centres by integrating passive cooling strategies into the building envelope. It explored how technological infrastructure could be made both efficient and architecturally expressive.
Result
The design presents a data centre that is both high-performance and culturally situated, anchored in the fast-paced digital economy of Old Street while reducing operational energy demands through a responsive, climate-driven skin.