Where Data Goes, I Go
St. Louis, Missouri
The transmission of information has evolved from physical documentation to digital signals, from ink to electrons. The global data infrastructural network provides ubiquitous access to the internet and cloud-based platforms, which creates a culture of digital dependence. Today, we are constantly immersed in digital information, peering at our smartphones, TVs, and computers for a majority of the day in order to stay connected.
My thesis proposes a new typology for data centers, making them a destination for people as well as data. I am denying the mono-functional program of a data center by combining it with a place to escape from the digital realm, a place for relaxation and self-reflection. The dual programs create an architecture of coexisting realities by juxtaposing the data center with a center for digital isolation.
Locate. Excavate. Embed.
Sensory deprivation chambers, individual and communal baths, data-less workspaces, and meditation space encompass a central exterior courtyard. The excessive heat produced from the data center is collected and used to heat the various pools and water dependent spaces within and around the building, creating a mutually beneficial relationship between programs.
By transforming the programmatic responsibility of a data center, this new typology enables people to more clearly understand the physical presence data has in the urban landscape. And with our increasing dependence on interacting with data in our digital silos, this project proposes a human centered response to living in a data dependent world.
